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PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
00
THE
American Sportsman:
CONTAINING
HINTS TO SPORTSMEN, NOTES ON SHOOTING,
AND THE HABITS OF THE
Game Hirds any GHily Foto! of America,
BY
7 ISHA J {LEWIS M.D
EL sll Alby
1] Z
MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY” MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
OF PHILADELPHIA, AMERICAN EDITOR OF ‘‘YOUATT ON THE DOG,” ETC, ETC.
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.
Designed by Ckeorge tks WHhite—Hngraked bn Wouderback & Woffmann.
PHILADELPHIA:
J LiPPra corr Co:
. 1857.
siatored according to act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
J. B. LIPPINCOLTT & CO.
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania. '
TO
J. K. MITCHELL, M.D.
PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN THE JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE
OF PHILADELPHIA,
Chis dlork on Sporting
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY
HIS FRIEND AND FORMER PUPIL,
ELISHA J. LEWIS, M.D.
My p&AR Doctor :—
A FEW months only have elapsed since the appearance
of the second edition of my book on Sporting; and the pub-
lishers, much to my gratification, notify me that they are once
more in need of another supply. To this flattering appeal
I most cheerfully assent, and trust that you will again find
the volume, on this its third advent, much improved, as a
number of illustrations have been added and the text some-
what enlarged.
With sentiments of the warmest esteem, I am, in all
sincerity,
My dear Doctor,
Most truly and faithfully yours,
ELISHA J. LEWIS.
To Prorrssor J. K. MitcHELu.
PREFACE
IO) MEI sAD MDMELINIR ID HID ITAe ICO) aNt
N intelligent, observant sportsman,
whether he be a votary of the genile
craft, or a zealous advocate of the dog
and gun, instinctively—yes, oftentimes
without being in the least conscious
of it himself—becomes an impassioned
admirer of nature and nature’s works
in her most varied and attractive
forms.
It is not, as many narrow-minded astutes ignorantly sup-
pose, the mere slaughter of the timorous partridge which so
early calls him forth to the stubble-field; neither is it the
coveted possession of the savory woodcock that lures him to
the entangled brake; nor is it the soaring wisps of fickle
snipes which alone entice him to the oozy meadows; nor
yet the booming grouse that makes him climb the mountain-
side or seek the far-off rolling prairie.
There are other incentives, other charms, besides these,
O ye incredulous, pent-up inhabitants of a crowded city,
which impel the sportsman, as with a siren’s wand, to hie
joyfully away with dog and gun to the fields, to the hills, to
the rich autumn-tinted forests.
‘Our sportsman has become an admirer of nature; he has
xi
xil PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.
learned to appreciate the quiet beauties of a wide-extended
landscape as it spreads out majestically before him; he views
with enthusiastic delight the startling grandeur of a mountain-
gorge as it suddenly bursts upon his sight; he wanders in
silent satisfaction through the murmuring forests of stately
oaks, and lingers for a while in pleasant meditation ere he
leaps the noisy gurgling streamlet that coquettishly crosses
his path.
Then, resting for a time from his pursuits, our happy
sportsman plucks a half-hidden flower from its heathery bed,
listens to the far-resounding echoes of the unerring gun, joins
the merry laugh of his boon-companions, or returns the wild
halloo of approaching friends.
Now again he slakes his burning thirst with the sparkling
waters of a mountain-spring, or laves his manly brow with the
erystal drops from the purling rill that so musically babbles at
his very feet; and, giving full freedom to those warmer senti-
ments of the heart which too often become choked and stifled
by the close contact of selfish city life, he breathes a prayer
of gratitude to a beneficent Providence for all these enjoy-
ments, for all these pleasurable sensations.
To the fields, then,—to the bright and beautiful fields,—to
the forests, all clothed in the gorgeous livery of the winter's
frosts,—to the mountains, rich in eternal verdure,—to the
limpid streams and gushing rills,—do we once more inyite you,
to spend those flitting hours of leisure vouchsafed to us all
amid the busy scenes of actiye life.
My peAr Doctor :—
I am fully conscious of the fact that it does not seem well
in the present age for an author to appear egotistical, and
it therefore becomes him even far less to allude to his own
productions in terms of praise or commendation; but still I
may, I trust, in this instance at least, be pardoned for ex-
pressing a conviction that you will be much gratified with the
new dress that my volume on Sporting has assumed on this
its second advent.
I beg particularly to call your attention to my Introduction
to this second edition, which, in connection with some other
matters, explains the motives that impelled me to change the
title of my book, and of which I dare hope you will equally
approve.
In its present improved form and attractive gear, I flatter
myself that the “ American Sportsman’”’ will give increased
satisfaction to my sporting friends, and withal again afford
you an hour or so of pleasant relaxation from the more severe
studies and weighty responsibilities which your eminent posi-
tion in the profession necessarily imposes upon you.
With many more kind wishes, and with sentiments of high
esteem and great personal regard, I have much pleasure as
well as pride in subscribing myself, as ever,
My dear doctor,
Most truly and faithfully yours,
ELISHA J. LEWIS.
To Proressor J. K. Mrrcuett.
xiil
PREFACE
PO Ee) Sh OND pen ON
E must confess that it was with some
degree of surprise, as well as plea-
sure, that we learned from our pub-
lishers that they were so soon ready
to enter into an arrangement with us
for a second edition of our “ Hints to
Sportsmen,” as it was a gratifying
assurance, on their part, that the
unpretending volume which we had
sent forth from the press with many misgivings as to its
merits had met with a kind and liberal reception from those
for whom we had in our hours of leisure compiled it.
It would be affectation in us not to acknowledge that it was
with considerable satisfaction we observed from time to time
the many flattering reviews and complimentary notices which
appeared in the various journals in reference to our work.
We sincerely trust that on this, its second advent, in an entirely
new as well as doubly attractive garb, we will meet with the
like good treatment from our friends of the press. We can
assure all our readers that nothing has been wanting on our
part to render the volume still more instructive and interest-
ing, both as regards the style of getting-up and the additional
matter inserted.
XV1 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
These additions, however, though numerous, have been in
most instances ingrafted so insidiously on the old text that
they can scarcely be discerned, save by those who may have
felt their deficiency in the first edition, and will now, we trust,
in the present volume, find a portion at least of these defects
supplied.
In accordance with the repeated suggestions of some of our
sporting friends, we have deemed it advisable to change the
title of our book from “ Hints to SportsMEN”’ to that of the
‘‘ AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.”
The former appellation, considering the great variety of
subjects introduced, and the copiousness with which many
of them are treated, seemed rather too restricted in its signi-
fication, and far less comprehensive in its general bearing
than a work of this character merited. Besides all this, the
large additions as well as alterations that we have made in the
present volume seemed still further to urge upon us the
propriety of this change, and more especially as the work in its
entirely new and beautiful dress can scarcely be regarded as
the same book, or even recognised as the offspring of the first
edition. We cannot refrain from calling the attention of our
sporting friends to the wood-cuts of the various game-birds,
most of which, in point of execution, have not been equalled,
let alone excelled, by any thing of the kind before done in
this country. ,
To the Messrs. Louderback and Hoffmann we are indebted
for the skill and faithfulness with which they have accom-
plished their portion of the work, and we cheerfully acknow-
ledge that their great attention to our suggestions, coupled
with a becoming ambition on their part to do what would be
creditable to themselves, relieved us of much trouble as well
as anxiety. Of the truthfulness of these engravings to nature
we need say but little, as they speak for themselves, the most
of them being really very lifelike both in: position and ex-
pression. We may remark, however, en passant, that every
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. XVll
bird and every fowl was sketched from choice specimens
obtained from the AcapEMy oF NaturRAL Screnczs, or from
other equally good sources; and in almost every instance,
the drawings were subjected to the approval of our much-
esteemed friend, John Cassin, Esq., before the blocks were
placed in the hands of the engravers.
This latter circumstance alone should of itself be a
sufficient guarantee of their correctness, as every one at
all conversant with science well knows of Mr. Cassin’s
rare acquirements in this particular department of Natural
History.
And we now gladly avail of this opportune occasion to
make our public acknowledgments to this gentleman for
his many valuable suggestions in reference to the execution
of these drawings, the securing of which, by-the-by, has
been by far the most difficult—in fact, we may freely say,
the only unpleasant as well as vexatious—portion of our
task. We also return thanks to Mr. John Krider for his
generous aid in supplying us with the skins of several
specimens of birds, which assisted materially in insuring
correct drawings.
This is not the only good service which Mr. Krider has
done us as well as the rest of the craft during the last year;
for, independently of the many fine guns that he has turned
out from his workshop, he has, with the valuable assistance
of his friend, Mr. H. M. Klapp, furnished us with his “ Sport-
ing Anecdotes,” a book replete not only with amusing but
very instructive information regarding the habits of our
game-birds, sporting-dogs, &c. &e.
Mr. George G. White, the principal draughtsman, and,
{ may say, pupil, of Mr. Cassin’s in this particular kind of
drawing, has displayed much taste as well as artistic skill
in his delineations of the birds; and we doubt if he has any
superior, if equal, on our side of the vasty deep in this spe-
cial branch of designing. His chapter-headings and many
2
XVill PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
of the vignettes are also spirited and characteristic; the title-
page of the four seasons, and frontispiece, are very pleasing
compositions, and give still further evidences of his talent and
genius as an artist. |
With these few comments, we again send our volume forth
from the press, trusting, as before, far more to the well-known
generosity of the craft for its kind reception, than to any great merit
of its own, but at the same time bearing in mind the good old
Latin proverb, that—‘‘Frustra laborat qui omnibus placere
studet.” .
My pear Docror:—
ALTHOUGH we have never flushed the covey, started the
woodcock, or winged the wild duck, in company, yet I know
full well your partiality for the country, as also your early
fondness for field and rural sports; and, if you had not been
so early engrossed by professional duties, I doubt not that
you would have been the foremost among those who derive
so much enjoyment and healthful recreation from the dog
and gun.
Be not surprised, therefore, my dear sir, that, without any
previous intimation, I should dedicate this volume to you;
and. at the time rest assured that, in so doing, I am not alone
influenced by those early feelings of friendship naturally
engendered by your many kindnesses to me while a student
in your office, but I beg rather to present it as a slight token
of the high appreciation I entertain of your varied talents and
distinguished worth in the profession of which you are so
successful a teacher and practitioner.
Accept, then, dear sir, this little tribute of esteem from one
who has ever regarded the period of his association with you
when a pupil as a bright spot in the vista of life, to which he
ever refers with peculiar feelings of pleasure ; and, in conclusion,
Believe me, my dear doctor,
Very faithfully yours,
ELISHA J. LEWIS.
To Prorsssor J. K. Mrrcwett.
xix
ats
i v; iy ia
tiled.
PREFACE
MO. TEE) MELEE S 1 : ED Tn OpNe
HE lovers of the dog and gun are
under many and great obligations to
Henry William Herbert, Esq., for his
* most excellent works on Sporting,
which speak for themselves and need
no commendation from our pen. ‘They
abound in information and research
which few have had so great opportu-
nities of collecting or so much talent to put together. We also»
owe much to William T. Porter, Esq., for his valuable and
beautiful edition of “Hawker ;” and we should not forget to
thank J. 8. Skinner, Esq.,* for his many contributions to the
same branch of literature. “The general favor which the pro-
ductions of these gentlemen have met with from the public
has the more emboldened us to venture forth with this unpre-
tending volume, trusting, however, far more to the well-known
generosity of “the craft” for its kind reception than to any
great merit of its own.
We shall not, in a short preface like this, attempt to offer,
for the consideration of our readers, any thing like an eulo-
* Since writing the above, Mr. Skinner has been gathered to his fathers, ripe
in years and full of honors. His contributions to the cause of agriculture, rural
sports, and other kindred subjects, were numerous, and insured for him a wide-
extended and well-deserved reputation throughout our country.
xxi
XXil PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
gium upon field-sports; nor shall we endeavor to exhibit to
the world the many benefits and advantages to be derived
from the general encouragement of these healthful pursuits.
_ We beg merely to remind the student of science, the
cunning expounder of Blackstone, the deeply-read follower
of Galen, the shrewd devotee of commerce, as well as the
most skilful and industrious of artisans, that their intellectual
powers demand some remission of their labors, and that their
physical energies also need a certain degree of recreation or
resuscitation to enable them to pursue those studies and attain
those ends which stern necessity or exalted ambition prompts
them to undertake.
How, then, or where, then, may we ask, can this relaxation
of the mind as well as of the body be more agreeably obtained
than in the open fields and beautiful forests of our favored
country? There, and there alone, far away from the busy
throngs of selfish men, wandering with some favored friend,
in sweet communion with the green fields, the stately forests,
and limpid streams, the mind of the most grave and studious
becomes truly unbent and freed from its labors. There the
heart beats with renewed vigor, the blood courses through its
usually sluggish channels with a quickened pace, and the
whole animal as well as intellectual economy becomes sharp-
ened and revivified under exciting and healthful influences.
Add, then, to this scene the eager sportsman, surrounded
by his faithful and sagacious dogs; call up the sharp echo of
the unerring gun; recollect the plaintive call of the timid
partridge, the startling whirr of the affrighted pheasant, the
rapid flight of the lonely woodcock, the devious course of
the fickle snipe, or, perchance, the sudden rush of the skulking
hare, and the picture is complete. Then tell us whether such
scenes as these are not calculated to enliven the mind, expand
the energies, and not only bring the glow of health to the
cheek of youth, but infuse renewed vigor into the very soul
of the infirm and sedentary.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XXlil
Is there not a time when the wan-faced student of science
may neglect for a while the sickly flickerings of the midnight
lamp? Is there not a time when the learned counsellor may
escape the wranglings, the jeerings, the bitter feuds of the
halls of justice? And is there not a moment of leisure, an
hour of repose, when the skilful physician may turn a deaf
ear to the harassing solicitations of suffering humanity, and
draw for a brief period the curtain of oblivion around the
couch of disease and death?
Yes! there is a time for all these; and there is a time when
even the anxious, upright, and enterprising merchant may,
for a brief period, while quafling, as it were, the fabled waters
of Lethe, forget the perplexities of commerce, the fluctuations
of trade, the uncertainty of riches, and remain even unmindful
of his gallant ships, that come bounding across the briny deep,
heavily freighted with the fine wares of the North, the South,
the East, and the West.
Yes! there is a time, thanks to the noble founders of our
liberal institutions, when even the industrious artisan, freed
from all care and anxiety, may forget the labors and duties
of the shop, and wander forth to enjoy the works of nature
and learn more highly to appreciate the boon of freedom,
his country’s dearest gift.
To the fields, then,—to the bright and beautiful fields,—with
“dog and gun,’ do we invite you, one and all, to spend those
hours of leisure and participate in those innocent enjoyments
so captivating to a true sportsman.
a
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be
INDEX
'
A
Accum, 468.
comments on the gluttony of Sa-
vages, 463.
comments on the pleasures of the
table, 463.
comments on the frozen markets
of St. Petersburg and Moscow,
467.
Achilles, the bravery of, 430.
Act of Assembly, 98.
against killing game in Delaware, 98.
against killing game in Illinois and
other Western States, 93.
against killing game in Maryland,
93.
against killing game in New Jersey,
93
against killing game in Pennsylvania,
93
Africa, guns made for, 448.
Age of the Dog, 509.
Ah-bob-white, 75.
Ajax, the bravery of, 480. :
Alexander the Great: superstitious dread
of gunpowder, 430.
Ambush, erected on the flats, 292.
how constructed, 292.
Amputate the wing of a wounded bird,
how to, 491.
Anecdote, snipe-shooting, 203.
swan-shooting, 298.
punters’—of frozen ducks, 299.
of Colonel Hawker, 302.
Apicius, extraordinary feast of, 464.
Apollonius Tyaneeus, refers to gun-
powder, 430.
Philostratus, historian of, 480.
Audubon, description of driving Par-
tridges, 94.
description of the Wild Tur-
key, 127.
observations on the migrations
of Squirrels, 359.
comments on cooking game,
473.
Auriculars, ear-coverts, their position
and use, 34.
Auri sacra fames of the present day,
Aztecs, Wild Turkey domesticated among,
38.
B
Baccuus, Egyptian, repulsed with gun-
powder, 430.
Backwoodsmen of America, 51.
their exploits with the
rifle, 51.
killing Squirrels and Wild
Turkeys, 51.
Bacon, Friar, his knowledge of gun-
powder, 430.
Bald-pate, (see Widgeon,) 311.
Barnyard Ducks, fed on celery, 272.
Barrels, leading of, how freed, 398.
Bar-shooting, 297.
Bartram, statement respecting young
Rails, 220.
Bastard-wing, description of, 34.
Bats, acute sensation of, 38.
Battery, description of, 283. e
great numbers of ducks shot
from, 284.
mode of building, 286.
explanation of the model, 288.
Beetle or Bull-head, (see Plover,) 249.
Bears, in Iowa, 63.
large numbers destroyed, 91.
Beef, Sportsman’s, how made, 481.
Birds, batting, 189.
flesh of, made poisonous, 78.
measurement of, 36.
moulting, 38.
nocturnal, 37.
serpents charming, 73.
technical terms applied to, 33.
Black or Dusky Duck, 322.
well known in the Philadelphia
market, 322.
habits and description, 323.
Black-bellied Plover, (see Plover,) 248.
XXV
i
Xxvl
INDEX.
Blain—directions for polishing rust from | Canyas-back—continued.
gun-barrels, 401.
Blow, treatment of, 504.
Bob-o-link, (see Reed-Bird, ) 210.
Boots, shooting, 388.
best kind, 389.
receipts for dressing, 392.
Boswell—comments on Dr. Johnson’s eat-
ing, 459.
Both eyes open, 60.
Bowles, Mr., description of the feeding
of Woodcocks, 1738.
Box, (see Battery, ) 283.
Brace or couple, what is understood by
a, 41.
Brant or Brent, Barnacle Goose, 335.
Anas Bernicla—habits— haunts,
800.
how killed—description, 336.
a gang of, 42.
Brewer—observation on the vyentrilo-
quism of Rails, 221.
Brown, Captain—his work on Taxidermy,
488
Brown thickening for game, 480.
Bryan, George H.—a Rail captured at
sea, 221.
Buffel-headed Duck—Butter-ball, 320.
Anas Albeola, 320.
habits, haunts, and description,
321.
Buffaloes—great numbers destroyed, 91.
Buffon—opinion as to the origin of the
Wild Turkey, 138.
statement respecting White Par-
tridges, 84.
Bull or Beetle-head, (see Plover,) 249.
Burlington, Iowa, 89.
large numbers of Partidges
5 netted in neighborhood of,
89
Burn, how to be treated, 506.
Bursting of guns, 418.
Bush River—toling ducks on, 278.
pees call (see Buffel-headed Duck,)
320.
C
CanapDA Goose, (see Goose,) 329.
Grouse, 164.
Grouse met with in, 164.
Canard Cheval, 272.
Cannon, antiquity of, 432.
Canvas-back, 267.
Anas Valisineria, 267.
their great repute, 267.
testimony of Wilson as to their
peculiar delicacy, 268.
known only in America, 268.
description, history, and habits,
268.
their food and haunts, 270.
shyness and modes of taking,
2738.
toling, boating, netting, 274.
use of dug-outs, 281.
batteries, surface-boats, or sinks,
283.
description of batteries, 286.
decoys, 290.
ambush on the flats, 292.
shooting off points, 298.
holes in the ice; 295.
point and bar-shooting, 296.
anecdote, 298.
art of shooting, 299.
verses descriptive of, 304.
Cap-chargers, 376.
Cap, Napoleon, 385.
Caps, Percussion, varieties of, 378.
Carolina, Reed-Birds in, 214.
Snipe in, 194.
Cartridges, extensively used, 377.
how made and when service-
able, 378.
Eley’s patent, 380.
Celery sauce, how made, 478.
Ceylon, Snipes in, 194.
Citizens encourage killing game out of
season, 92.
should discountenance game sup-
pers, 93.
Chandler., M. T. W.—
observations on Woodcocks,
170.
observations on the haunts of
Woodcocks, 182.
receipts for making water-
proof dressing for boots,
394,
Charadrius Apricarius, (see Black-Bellied
Plover,) 248.
Pluvialis, (see Golden Plover, )
250.
Charles the First—
small-arms in the reign of, 485.
Charming birds, serpents, 72.
Chesapeake Bay—
partridges caught on the shores
of the, 88.
as a resort of wild fowl, 262.
various kinds of Ducks on, 262.
exciting times on, 263.
present and future numbers of
wild fowl on, 305.
China, gunpowder known in, 429.
Chinese, gunpowder known to, 429.
food of the, 464.
gunpowder used by the, 431.
Clapper Rail, (see Rallus Crepitans, ) 237
Clean guns, 386.
INDEX.
Clerks of the market blind as bats, 92.
Club-houses—encourage killing of game
out of season, 92.
Coat, made of fustian, 385.
made of woollen cloth, 385.
Cocking the gun, 364.
Cock, part of the machinery of a gun,
877.
Coffin-hoat, description of, 283.
Columbia River, Ruffed Grouse on the
ranges of, 148.
Pinnated Grouse abun-
dant about, 159.
Columbia migratoria—Wild Pigeon, 265.
Collum, the neck, 36.
Conquest of Mexico—Wild Turkey men-
tioned by Prescott, 138.
Constantinople—British cruisers visited,
187.
Coolness and deliberation, necessity of,
48.
importance of, 52.
Cooking, art of—game, 458.
““God sends meat, who”—458.
Rumford’s philosophic remarks
on, 458.
Mayo’s, Dr., remarks on, 459.
importance of good, 460.
authors’ views and sentiments,
459.
Johnson’s, Dr., comments on,
459,
further comments on the im-
portance of good, 460.
authors’ remarks on, 461.
Accum’s remarks on, 468.
among the Romans, 464.
among the Chinese, 464.
comments of Louis HEustache
Ude, 465.
to select game, and when to
cook it, 466.
frozen game, 467.
to roast game, larded, broiled,
469.
boiled game, and some other
ways, 471.
Snipe, Woodcock, Plover, Phea-
sants, 472.
Reed-Birds, Rail, and other
kinds of game, 474.
Wild Fowl, 477.
Canvas-backs, 477.
further remarks on, 478.
brown thickening for, 480.
potatoes dla maitre @’hétel, 480.
Venison soup, 481.
Sportsman’s Beef, 481.
Hares, Rabbits, or Squirrels,
482.
Copple, Daniel, white Snipe killed by, 208.
XXVII
Corns on the feet, how cured, 501.
Corona—crown of the head, 35.
Couple or Brace, explanation of, 41.
Covert-shooting, rules for, 59.
Cross-shooting, or cross-shots, 56.
rules for, 56.
Curlew, Esquimaux or Short-billed Cur-
lew, 241.
Scolopax Borealis, 241.
nomenclature and history, 241.
migrations, food, 242.
their flesh, and time to shoot
them, 248.
Curlew, Long-billed or Sickle-bill—
Numenius Longirostris, 245.
habits and description, 245.
Cygnus Americana, (see Swan,) 337.
D
Daniet, Rev. Wu. B.—
fecundity of the English Par-
tridge referred to by, 70.
several white Partidges men-
tioned by, 83.
description of English Pochard,
308.
receipt for gun-ointment, 400.
Damascus gun-harrels, 454.
Decoys, best kind, price of, 290.
Deer, abundant in Iowa, 63.
great numbers destroyed, 91.
Delaware—game ordinances, 98.
Woodcock in, 170.
good shooting, 109.
Snipes in, 200.
Willet’s frequent, 254.
Reed-Birds on river, 212.
Diet and Drink—
effect of exercise on, 497.
unadulterated water, 497.
eat and drink with moderation,
497.
avoid debauch and various liquors,
497.
avoid bad liquors; how to avoid,
498.
water-drinkers, 498.
Distances on the water very deceptive,
264,
Doe-bird, 247.
Dogs, terms applicable to, 40.
Youatt on the, best work on, 43.
type of all that is noble, 44.
fidelity of, 44.
disinterested attachment of, 44.
exalted above all other animals, 45.
their social position, 45.
the associate of man, 45.
guardian of his flocks, 45.
forgiving spirit, 45.
XXVIl
Dogs—continued.
abandonment of all his race, 45.
humility, companionship, 46.
joy and sorrow of, 45.
Walter Scott’s account of a, 45.
how to treat, 113.
feed them yourself; reasons for,
114.
how to enter—on the field, 115.
proper manner to hunt, 115.
half broken, young, and heedless,
115.
good, young, old, 116.
timid, bold, 116.
correction of, 117.
never kick or shoot, 117.
act of pointing in, second nature,
118.
not to flush the game, 118.
should find the dead bird, 119.
should be made to couch, 119.
retrievers difficult to train, 119.
to make—gentle with game, 121.
should hunt up wounded or dead
game, 121.
how to hunt, 122.
when—come to a point, 128.
occasionally at fault, 123.
English not equal to American, 124.
accidental death of a, 207.
to tell the age of, 509.
Domery, Charles, celebrated glutton, 464.
his wonderful feats of eating, 464.
Domestic animals—
their attachment and forced sub-
mission, 46.
how different from the dog, 46.
Down charge, 41.
Dubuque, immense load of game carried
into, 63.
Ducks, art of shooting, 299.
toling, 274.
further instructions on shooting,
301.
Duck Island, experiments at, 265.
Duckers, hints for, 264.
Dug-outs, description of, 281.
Dun-birds of England, 308.
Dupont, gunpowder made by, 407.
composition and superiority of,
407.
Dusking, as applied to Wild-Fowl shoot-
ing, 3823.
Dusky Duck, (see Black Duck), 322.
aD)
East, Wild Turkey not a native of the,
136.
Eating-saloons encourage killing of game
out of season, 92.
INDEX.
Edward III. uses gunpowder, 4382.
guns in the reign of, 484.
Eggs, eating Partridge. 90.
should be discountenanced, 91.
preserving, shells, 489.
Egypt, Snipe in, 194.
Egyptian Hercules, 430.
Eley’s patent cartridge, 380.
Elizabeth Island, Pinnated Grouse on,
159.
Elk River—
immense drove of partridges en-
countered in the neighborhood
of, 81.
their singular actions, 82.
Elizabeth, Queen, uses gunpowder, 4382.
guns in the reign of, 434.
England, efforts to introduce the Ameri-
can Partridge into, 96.
Woodcock-shooting in, 191.
Land-Rail or Corn-Crake of,
217.
Water-Crake or Spotted Rail
of, 217.
gun-makers of, 435.
guns imported from, 439.
cost of guns imported from, 489.
Epicurus, followers of, 267.
Epreuvette, or powder-prover, 411.
Eye, pupil of the, 35.
seldom wrong, 52.
seldom at fault, 53.
how to treat a wounded, 507.
Eyre, J. M., exploits in Rail shooting,
230.
EF
FEATHERS—rump or upper tail-coverts,
35.
their position, character, and
use, 35.
stronger in proportion to the
habits of the bird, 35.
how formed in the Woodpecker
tribe, 35.
how formed in the Water-Fowl,
acts as a rudder, 35.
Feathers—vent or under tail coverts, 35.
their position and character, 35.
longer on some Birds than others,
how developed in the Rallus Ca-
rolinus, 35.
Feathers—sensation in, 37.
delicate impressions conveyed
by, 37.
nice organization of, in noctur-
nal birds, 37.
Feathers, shedding of, 38.
INDEX.
Feathers—continued.
accidents to, 38.
moulting of, 38.
Field, taking the, 112.
verses descriptive of the sports of
the, 112.
Field or Grass Plover, 257.
Figure-of-4 trap—
taking Partridges with a, 90.
Flasks, powder, 369.
various kinds of, in use, 369.
caution in the use of, 369.
patent, 370.
Flight, velocity of, 265.
experiments to prove the velocity
of, 265.
Flexure—bend of the wing, 35.
Florida, Snipes in, 197.
Canvas-backs in, 272.
Folly Island, numbers of Curlew on,
245.
Fontainebleau, escape of a Falcon from,
266.
Forrester, Frank—opinion on Woodcocks,
175.
observations on the
note of the Snipe,
196.
Fowler—an English writer, 63.
opinion of American Sporting,
63.
how unjust, 638.
Fowler, a celebrated Rail-pusher, 227.
France, gun-barrels imported from, 447.
Frederick the Great required little sleep,
500.
Freiburg, monument erected at, 432.
Frons—forehead, 35.
Frost Birds, 250.
Frozen Game, 467.
G
GALERIE DES OrsEAUX, Viellot’s, 175.
Gallinaceous order, noise made by the,
Galveston Bay, Canvas-backs in, 272.
Game of all descriptions abundant, 91.
recklessly destroyed, 92.
illegal traffic in, 92.
ordinances against selling, 92.
ordinances a dead letter, 92.
hawkers of, 92.
their disregard of ordinances, 92.
predictions regarding, 104.
probable abundance of, 104.
probable scarcity of, 104.
Ganges, the river, 430.
Gauge for Powder and Shot, 381.
description of, 381.
Geese, terms applicable to, 42.
XX1X
Georgia, Ruffed Grouse in, 143.
Georgia, Reed-Birds in, 214.
German Jigers, good marksmen, 51.
Germany, guns imported from, 441.
Giraud—description of King Rail, 235,
statement about Curlew, 245.
Gilman, Dr.—
article on venomous snakes, 74.
curious experiments on snakes, 74,
Gloves, use of, 363.
importance of wearing, 363.
Gluttony among savages, 463.
Godman—comments on the migrations
of squirrels, 359.
Good shooting, 112.
Good shot, 48.
Golden Plover, 250.
Goose, Canada, 329.
Anas Canadensis, 329.
habits and haunts, 329.
great numbers killed by the In
dians, 330.
Pennat’s account of shooting,
3830.
easily domesticated, 331.
how killed, 332.
description, 332.
Goose, Snow, 833.
Anas hyperborea, 333.
habits and haunts, 3383.
description, 333.
laughing or grinning, 334.
Gratz, David—
White Partridge in his possession,
Grass or Field Plover, 251.
Greener—comments on gun-locks, 405.
observations on loading guns,
415.
remarks on brazing guns, 446.
Grouse, terms applicable to, 41.
numbers killed, 91.
cooking, 472.
Pinnated, 156.
Prairie Chicken or Hen, 156.
Tetrao cupido, 156.
description of, 157.
location, 157.
period of pairing, 159.
tooting of the, 159.
Audubon’s remarks, 159.
domestication of, 161.
flight of the, 162.
feeding and roosting, 162.
time for shooting, 163.
other varieties, 164.
Ruffed, 143.
Pheasant, 1438.
Tetrao Umbellus, 143.
locality and nomenclature, 148.
description of, 14+.
Grouse,
Grouse,
XXX
INDEX.
Grouse—continued.
confounded with Prairie Chicken,
145.
their gradual destruction, 145.
incubation and drumming, 146.
their battles and migrations, 147.
flight of the, 148.
habits, 149.
their flesh poisonous, 149.
enemies of the, 150.
their flesh, 150.
a feast of English, 151.
modes of shooting, 151.
treeing, 152.
shooting, with a setter, 153.
snares, etc., 154.
Gun—
selecting a, 49.
handling the, 49.
nicety of shooting with, 51.
exploits with, 51.
proper handling of, 57.
never beat bushes with, 60.
cannot be too careful with, 60.
importance of clean, 386.
to clean, 396.
properly loading, 414.
Greener’s remarks on, 415.
size and bore of, 416.
bursting of, 418.
experiments on recoil, 418.
recoil in, 424.
Commodore Stockton’s experiments
on recoil, 426.
authors’ views, 427.
its various parts, 483.
second-rate, 433.
when first invented, 438.
in the reign of Elizabeth, 433.
in the reign of Henry VIII., 433.
in the reign of Edward IIL., 433.
made in England, 433.
made in Philadelphia, 438.
made in New York, 488.
various parts of a, 435.
Westley Richards, celebrated ma-
ker of, 489.
made in America, 489.
made in England, 439.
description of an imported, 439.
bill of a, imported from England,
440.
necessity of a good, 440.
made in Germany, 441.
made in New York, 441.
made in Philadelphia, 442.
welding barrels, 4438.
hammer-hardening, 444,
boring, 444.
grinding, 445,
turning, 445.
Gun—continued.
brazing and breeching, 446.
Greener’s remarks, 446.
proving barrels, 447.
forgery of the proof-marks, 447.
Spanish barrels, 448.
French barrels, 448.
sham-dam guns, 448.
park-palings, 448.
made for the African market
448.
staining barrels, 449.
metal used in the manufacture, 449.
materials from which made, 450.
care and labor bestowed upon,
451.
deceptions practised, 452.
spurious, 452.
wire-twist for manufacturing, 4538.
Damascus barrels, 455.
charcoal iron, 455.
other kinds of metal used, 455.
wood for stocking, 456.
staining woods for stocking, 456.
Gunpowder, discovery of, 406.
to whom attributed, 406.
known to the Chinese, 406.
English, Scotch, and French,
406.
Dupont’s, 407.
varieties of, 407.
what kind preferred, 408.
anecdote, 408.
glazed and unglazed, 410.
tests for, 411. ;
epreuvette, or
prover, 411.
to preserve from moisture,
412.
impure, 413.
to dry damp, 414.
discovery and introduction,
429.
well known to the ancients,
429,
remarks of Uffano on, 429.
use of, in China, 429,
used by King Vitney, 430.
referred to by Philostratus,
430.
used by the Oxydracee, 430.
deters Alexander the Great,
430.
employed against Hercules,
430.
employed against Bacchus,
430.
powder-
used in India, 480.
known to Friar Bacon, 480.
mentioned in the Opus Ma-
gus, 430.
INDEX.
Gunpowder—continued.
inquiries into the early ori-
gin of, 430.
known to the Chinese, 431.
discovery concealed, 431.
reasons for
431.
discovered by Berthold
Schwarz, 431.
monument erected in com-
memoration of, 4382.
used by Edward III., 482.
used by Henry VIII. 482.
used by Elizabeth, 432.
used in hand-goune, 482.
used in wheel-lock goune,
432.
Gunsmiths of New York, 441.
Philadelphia, 441.
England, 442.
H
Hammer or cock of the gun, 377.
Hand-goune—when invented, 432.
Hanger’s, General George, lotion, 507.
receipt for Sportsman’s beef,
482,
Hare, American, 339.
Gray Rabbit, 339.
Lepus sylvaticus, 339.
description, 339.
locality and general characteristics,
340.
not a rabbit, 340.
the speed of, 348.
a nocturnal animal, 344.
food of, 344.
flesh of, 345.
hunting, 346.
domestication, 347.
cry of the, enemies of the, 347.
varieties, 348.
cooking the, 483.
Hares, terms applicable to, 42.
great abundance in Iowa, 63.
numbers destroyed. 91.
Havre-de-Grace, Partridges caught near,
Hawker, Colonel—
on wild-fowl shooting, 260.
comments on wild fowl, 264.
the Magnus Apollo, 313.
dressing for shooting-boots, 398.
receipt for soup, 475.
cooking of wild fowl,
477.
Hawks, the quill-feathers of, 34.
conflicts with Partridges, 72.
destroy numbers of Partridges,
108.
XXX1
Hawks—continued.
their boldness, 103.
the alarm they occasion, 103.
prey upon Ducks, 104.
sportsmen should kill, 104.
concealment, | Heels, galled, how to treat, 500.
Hellebore, Quails feed on, 81.
their flesh poisoned by, 81.
Hemorrhage, to preserve wounded bird
from, 490.
to stop accidental, 508.
Henry IV. of France—
a falcon belonging to, 266.
its rapid flight, 266.
Henry VIIT.—
Wild Turkey introduced in the
reign of, 187.
uses gunpowder, 482.
guns used by, 434.
Hercules, Egyptian, 430.
Hispania, coasts of, devastated, 136.
Hominum seryatorem, 462.
Hubbell, great number of Rail killed by,
231.
Hygiene—general remarks, 493.
atmospheric vicissitudes, 493.
caution to sportsmen, 498.
proper clothing, 493.
an ounce of precaution, 494.
“temperance, joy, and repose,”
494
hot tea and coffee, 494.
catarrhs, rheumatism, 494,
overheated, 495.
death caused by imprudence, 495.
state of the atmosphere, 495.
malarious districts, 496.
precautions to be adopted, 496.
noxious exhalations, 496.
diet and drink, 496.
exercise, perpetual motion, 497.
headache and malaise, 497.
pure water the best drink, 497.
fondness for vinous liquors, 497.
avoid drinking bad liquors, 498.
I
ILLINOIS, game-laws of, 95.
abundance of Grouse in, 158.
Indiana, Grouse in, 158.
Indians regard with horror slaughter of
game, 184.
kill great numbers of Geese, 330,
Iowa, abundance of game in, 63.
Partridges in, 63.
Prairie Chickens, 63
Hares, 63.
Deer, 63.
Wolves, 63.
Bears, 63.
XXX1
lowa—continued.
great numbers of Partridges killed
in, 89
greatnumbers of Partridges netted
in, 89.
Treland, Woodcock in, 190.
Italia—her coasts devastated, 136.
Iris irides of birds, 35.
no)
Jack-Frost nips vegetation, 62.
Jack Curlew, 247.
Jamaica, Reed-Birds in, 214.
Japan, Snipes in, 194.
Jersey, Ruifed Grouse in pines of, 143.
Johnson, Dr.—remarks on cooking, 459.
K
Katmia Crauca, 77.
marsh laurel, 77.
Grouse and Partridges feed on, 77.
animals feed on, 78.
Kalmia Latifolia, 77.
mountain laurel, 77.
Grouse and Partridges feed on, 77.
animals feed on, 78.
Ruffed Grouse feed on, 149.
author’s comments on, 150.
Keel-boatmen of America, 51.
their exploits with the rifle, 51.
snuffing the candle, 51.
driving the nail, 51.
Kentucky, Ruffed Grouse in, 143.
Pinnated Grouse in, 158.
Keokuk, numbers.of Partridges about,
110.
cooped and sent to New Or-
leans, 110.
Kill-deer Plover, 251.
Killing clean, importance of, 64.
what distance in, 65.
for humanity’s sake, 65.
verses in support of, 65.
Gane -snake—curious experiments, 74.
_ their wonderful endowments, 75.
Kitchener, Dr., on the pleasures of the
table, 465.
Knife, sporting, proper kind, 384.
L
LaKke Ontario, Reed-Birds about, 211.
Laurel, mountain, (see Kalmia Latifolia, )
17.
Laws, game, mere bagatelle, 178.
Leading of barrels, 358.
how freed, 399.
INDEX.
Lee, Mrs., directions for mounting birds,
486.
her work on Taxidermy, 488.
Legislative enactments as to killing game,
Lepus cuniculus, 339.
sylvaticus, 330.
Lesser coverts—situation and character,
384,
Levy, W. W.—celebrated duck-shooter,
285
his draft of a battery, 291.
Lewis, E.—Snipe’s nest on his estate, 198.
Liquors, bad, to be avoided, 498.
Locks of a gun, 404.
importance of good, 405.
Greener’s remarks on, 405.
Long-billed Curlew, 246.
Long Island, Pinnated Grouse on, 159.
Loral space, 35.
Louisiana, Pinnated Grouse in, 158.
Reed-Birds, 210.
Louis Eustache Ude—comments on cook-
ery, 465. :
Lynx—attack on Wild Turkeys, 141.
Lyon’s, Captain—
views on the ventriloquism of the
Arctic Fox, 222.
M
Maenus Aro~tto—
Colonel Hawker the, 3138.
Magnus Coquus of the ancients, 462.
Maine, Grouse met with in, 164, ~
Mallard or Wild Drake, 314.
Anas Boschus—habits and haunts,
814.
parent stock of tame Duck, 314.
description, 315.
in the ricefields, 316.
on the Delaware, 316.
in England, 316.
decoy-ponds for netting, 316.
Malta, Falcon captured at, 266.
Mandibles, upper and lower, 35.
Martha’s Vineyard, Pinnated Grouse on,
159.
Massachusetts, Grouse found in, 164.
Maxille, superior and inferior, 35.
Mayo, Dr.—remarks on cooking, 459.
Measurement of birds, 36.
Mediterranean, Turkish cruisers in, 1386.
Meleagris Gallopayo—wild Turkey, 126
Mentum, the chin, 36.
Mexicans, Wild Turkey domesticated by
the, 1388.
Migrations of Partridges, 81.
causes of their, 82.
singular actions during their, ,
82.
INDEX.
Millochau, Adolphe, gun-oil of, 400.
Mississippi River, Ruffed Grouse on the
ranges of the, 143.
Moon—effects on the tides, 228.
Rails feed at the full of the,
228.
Moulting of birds, 38.
wise provision of nature, 38.
change in the plumage, 38.
protection from enemies, 38.
in quadrupeds, 38.
cold modified by, 38.
gradual in birds, 39.
time of, 39.
in water-fowl, 39.
in birds than incubate far north,
39.
Mordeeai, Captain, 39.
experiments and observations on
powder, 413.
Moscow, frozen markets of, 467.
Mount Holly, Partridges shot in the
neighborhood of, 78.
Mud Creek—good Snipe-ground, 63.
Markets in reign of Queen Elizabeth,
435.
Mud Hen, 287.
N
Napoeon required little sleep, 500.
Natural History, importance of studying,
85.
Nipple or pivot of the gun, 376.
wrench for, 383.
Nooses of horse-hair, 90.
for taking game, 90.
Norton, Robert, 429.
North Carolina—
driving Partridges as practised in,
94.
New Jersey—
game-ordinances of, 93.
numbers of Ruffed Grouse in, 145.
Woodcock in, 170.
Snipes in, 197.
Willets frequent, 254.
New Orleans, Canvas-backs about, 272.
Netting Ducks, 280.
Partridges,
New York Ruffed Grouse, 145.
gun-makers of, 435.
O
Occrput—back of the head, 35.
Old World, batteries of the, 79.
Quails of the, 89.
Opus Magus of Bacon, 430.
Ordinance against selling game, 98.
Ornithologists, terms used by, 38.
XXXlil
| Ornithologists who have graced this
country, 67.
Ornithology, technical terms the A BC
of, 33.
this information easily acquired,
Orismology, sporting terms a branch of,
40.
Owls, sensation of feathers in, 38.
Oxydrace, 430.
ly
PanrHERsS—numbers destroyed, 91.
Partridge, the springing of, 49.
vigorous flight of, 52.
when flushed, 57.
flies with amazing velocity, 57.
flight compared with English,
57.
great abundance of, in Lowa,
63
Perdix Virginianus, 66.
verses descriptive of, 66.
their abundance, locality, no-
menclature, 66.
description, habits, 67.
perching on trees, 68.
not strictly migratory, 68.
running season, 68.
during winter at the North, 68.
catching in nets, traps, &c., 69.
period of pairing, 69.
building their nests, 70.
number of eggs, 70.
fecundity of English, 70.
period of incubation, 70.
the young, 71.
strictly monogamous, 71.
leaving the nest, 71.
solicitude of the hen, 72.
artifices of the cock, 72.
conflicts with hawks, serpents,
Moen, Ce
domestication of, 74.
two broods, 74.
author’s opinion of, 75.
call of the, 75.
actions of young, 76.
roosting, 76.
food, 77.
shot on Tapahannock marshes,
78.
English, compared with Ame-
rican, 79.
not a Quail, 80.
how it differs from the Quail,
80.
running season of the, 81.
immense droves, 81.
singular actions, 81.
Partridge,
23
XXXIV
Partridge—continued.
cause of these migrations, 82.
flight of—whirring noise, 82.
flight of English, 83.
change in color of plumage,
83.
white or pied, 82.
remarkable, in possession of
author, 84.
hints on hunting, 87.
formed into coveys, 88.
time for killing, 88.
taken in traps, 88.
abundant in Iowa, 89.
nooses of horse-hair to catch,
90.
eating eggs of, 90.
numbers destroyed in 1855
and 756, 91.
game- -ordinances disregarded,
92,
whistle of the, 94.
driving into nets, 94.
efforts to introduce into Eng-
land, 96.
actions of old and young, 97.
best to break dogs on, 97.
retaining scent, 98.
enemies of, 102.
probable abundance or scarcity
of, 104.
haunts of, 104.
where to find, 105.
dry and warm weather, 105.
wet and boisterous weather,
105.
further hints on hunting, 107.
early dawn—at noon, 107.
when they feed, 107.
before leaving their roost,
108.
seldom roost in same place,
108.
during snow, 109.
Partridges—
shooting in Delaware, 109.
Virginia, 110.
season of 1851 and 52, 110.
numbers in vicinity of Keokuk,
110.
numbers taken in nets, 110.
Phillips, Clem. T., kills sixty-one,
IE,
good shooting, 112.
Frank Forrester’s opinion of diffi-
culty of killmg American, 112.
taking the field, 112.
how to act when hunting, 115.
wounded birds, 121.
most difficult of all birds to shoot,
121.
INDEX.
| Partridges—continued
frequently give forth no scent,
121.
to split and broil, 471
Pectus—the breast, 36.
pee Mr., account of shooting Geese,
330.
Percussion caps, 373.
how made, best kind, 373.
substitute for, 375.
Perdix Virginianus, (see Partridge, ) 66.
rane Snipe in the country of the,
1 ;
Pheasant, or Ruffed Grouse, 148.
Philadelphia, game hawked about, 92.
contrary to municipal ordinances,
92.:
gun-makers of, 485, 441.
Phillips, Clem. T.—
kills sixty-one birds, 111.
Pigeon, killing with a rifle, 50.
exploits in shooting, 51.
Pike, celebrated Rail-pusher, 227.
Plover, Golden—
Charadrius pluviales, 250.
habits, food, 250.
how pest killed, 251.
description, 251.
Plover, Black-bellied, 248.
Bull or beetle-headed, 249.
Grass or Field, 251.
Piping, 251.
terms applicable to, 41.
Poking shot not to be admired, 61.
Porter’s, William T., account of Squirrels,
360.
Potatoes & la Maitre d’H6tel, 480.
Pot-hunter—a despicable fellow, 86.
how to act in company with a,
87.
Potterer, or poking-shot, 51.
Powder-flasks, 369.
prover, 411.
Powers, N., of lowa—
load of game collected by, 63.
Prairie Chicken, (see Grouse.)
Prescott refers to the Wild Turkey in his
“Conquest of Mexico,” 1388.
Primaries, large quill-feathers, 34.
their position and use, 34.
peculiarly constructed
Hawk, 34.
Pugh, English artist, anecdote of, 85.
Q
QUADRUPEDS, change of pelage in, 38.
Quail not a Partridge, 80.
different in habits, 80.
flesh, 80.
is polygamous, 80.
in the
INDEX.
Quail—continued.
a migratory bird, 80.
trail at night, 81.
employed in combat, 81.
not esteemed as food, 81
assemble in innumerable bodies, 89.
killed in immense numbers, 89.
people surfeited with, 89.
Quail Snipe, 256.
R
RaBsit, Gray, (see Hare.)
Rail or Sora, Rallus Carolinus, 217.
description, nomenclature, 217.
history, &c., 218.
singular characteristics, 221.
Rail, their food and resorts, 222.
shooting, 224.
paraphernalia for shooting, 227.
pushers for shooting, 227.
tides, 228.
numbers killed, 230.
shooting in Virginia, 231.
fire-shooting, 231.
netting, 232.
fish prey upon, 232.
where to shoot, 232.
expense of shooting, 233.
terms applicable to, 42.
cooking, 474.
vent-feathers large in the, 35.
Rallus Crepitans—
Clapper Rail or Mud Hen, 237.
nomenclature and locality, 237.
period of incubation, 238.
_ where killed, 239.
Rallus Elegans—Great Red-breasted Rail,
235.
King Rail,
Hen, 235.
description, 235.
history, habits, and haunts, 236.
Raspail, Monsieur—
theory of serpent-charming, 74.
Rattlesnake, curious experiments with,
73.
Reed-Bird—Rice-Bunting, 210.
Emberiza Oryzivora, 210.
history and nomenclature, 210.
description, 211.
migrations--their feeding-grounds,
211.
shooting, 212.
netting, 213.
compared with Ortolan of Europe,
Fresh-water Marsh
anecdote, 213.
progress south, 214.
curious facts, 215.
as a cage-bird, 215.
XXXV
Reed-Bird—continued.
change of plumage, 216.
terms applicable to, 42.
cooking, 474.
Red-headed Duck, 308.
Red-head, 308.
Anas ferina, 308.
habits and haunts, 308.
Red-headed Widgeon of England,
308.
Register, extract from a friend’s shoot-
ing, 112.
Retriever—how trained, 119.
difficulty of training a, 119.
good ones very scarce, 119.
author’s views of, 119.
Rice- Bunting, (see Reed-Bird, ) 210.
Richards, Westley, gun-maker, 439.
bill of a gun purchased of, 440.
Rifle, shooting with a, 50.
exploits of the Toomers with, 50.
killing Pigeons with, 50.
striking cricket-balls with, 50.
exploits of our backwoodsmen with,
50.
German jigers use, 51.
killing Squirrels with, 51.
Wild Turkeys with, 51.
exploits of keel-boatmen with, 51.
driving the nail with, 51.
snuffing the candle with, 51.
shooting apples from the head with,
51.
Ring-Plover, 251.
Rock Island—
numbers of Partridges on, 110.
Rocky Mountains—
Canvas-back on the streams of
the, 270.
Romans, festive boards of the, 464.
Ruffed Grouse, (see Grouse.)
Rumford, Count—comments on cooking,
458.
Rump, Bill, celebrated Rail-pusher, 227.
Russia, Snipe in, 195.
Rusting, to prevent, of barrels, 399.
how to remove, 399.
Ss
SaRGEANT, Dr. R. PeRcy—
observation on habits of Wild
Turkey, 130.
further observation, 140.
Sauces or gravies, 479.
Savages—their gluttony, 463.
Scapulars, shoulder-feathers, 84.
Schwarz, Berthold, discoverer of gun-
powder, 406.
invention of gunpowder attri-
buted to, 431.
XXXV1
Schwarz, Berthold—continued.
monument erected at Frei-
burg to, 432.
Scientia poping, 462.
Sciurus Migratorius, (see Squirrel.)
Season of 1855 and ’56—
particularly destructive to game,
91
numbers of birds as well as ani-
mals destroyed in consequence
of the snow during, 91.
Secondaries, second quill-feathers, 34.
Serpents, conflicts with Partridges, 72.
charming birds, 73.
popular fallacy, 73.
Dr. Gilman’s experiments with,
73.
venomous, 73.
King, 78.
Raspail’s theory, 74.
Setters—early in the season, 118.
suffer for want of water, 118.
Shoemaker, Dr.—
cases of poisoning by eating
Grouse, 78.
remedies used by, 78.
Shooting, art of, on the wing, 47.
soon acquired, 47.
first grand desideratum, 47.
nicety in, 50.
carried to great perfection, 50.
exploits of Richard and Edward
Toomer, 50.
particular instructions for, 52.
when the bird should be killed,
53.
in thickets, 54.
be cool, when, 54.
requires patience and practice,
54
when the bird is crossing, 58.
too low—too high, 59.
both eyes open, 60.
in America different from that
of England, 62.
Shore-birds, terms applicable to, 42.
Short, Dr.—exploits among the Snipe, 63.
Shot-bags, shot-pouches, 372.
most suitable kind, 372.
Siberia, Snipe in, 194.
Sickle-bill, (see Curlew.)
Sink, (see Battery.)
Skinner, J. S.—comments on food of
Partridges, 77.
account of good shooting, 111.
fanciful notion of the feeding of
Woodcocks, 172.
INDEX.
Skipwith, Mr.— :
captures Sora Rails at Sea, 220.
Sleep—how necessary, 499.
should be moderate, 499.
less sleep in warm weather, 499.
some require more than others,
499.
Napoleon required little, 499.
Frederick the Great required
little, 499.
Smith, Dr., interesting letter of, 98.
his views of Partridges retaining
scent, 98.
subject fully discussed, 98.
Smyrna, British cruisers visited, 137.
Snap-shot, when most successful, 60.
a disagreeable companion, 61.
shooting with both eyes open, 61.
Snipe—terms applicable, 41.
sudden and irregular flight of, 49.
zigzag flight of the, 52.
abundant on borders of Mud
Creek, 63.
white, 84.
Snipe, 194.
Scolopax Wilsonii, 194,
Scolopax gallinago, 194.
Wilson’s Snipe, 194.
English Snipe, 194.
widely disseminated, 194,
varieties, 195.
why called Wilson’s Snipe, 195.
resembles the English variety,
195.
description, 196.
location and food, 197.
incubation, young brood, 199.
return to the South, 199. ~
restless spirit, 200.
perception of cold, 200.
voracious feeders, 201.
seldom found in the woods, 201.
difficult to shoot, 201.
shooting anecdote, 204.
during rainy weather, 206.
dogs for hunting, 206.
fly against the wind, 207.
advantages of shooting, 208.
white or pied, 208.
cooking, 472.
Red-breasted, 256.
Scolopax Noveboracensis, 256.
Quail Snipe, 256.
habits and haunts, 256.
flesh and food, 256.
how and when killed, 256.
description, 257.
Snipe,
comments on ambition of killing | Snow, heavy fall of, 91.
for quantity, 183.
reprobates this cruel ambition,
184,
its fearful consequences, 92.
Sora, (see Rail.)
Sore throat, how to treat a, 508.
INDEX. XXXVU
Spain— St. Lawrence River, Reed-Birds on,
introduction of Wild Turkey from, 211.
137. St. Louis, game shipped from, 110.
gun-barrels imported from, 447.
Spaniels, terms applicable to, 40.
verses in memory of a, 192.
Sporting, terms used in, 40.
general ignorance of these terms,
4
easily acquired, 40.
writers on, 40.
Sportsmen—
should be careful of birds in win-
ter, 69.
hints to, 87.
practical observations for, 88.
should keep cool, 105.
during rainy weather, 105.
should not be too eager, 107.
should refresh themselves, 118.
directions for, to hunt dogs, 118.
should flush the game, 118;
Sportsman’s Beef, how made, 481.
Sprain, how to be treated, 504.
Sprigtail, 324.
Pintail, 324.
Anas acuta, 324,
handsome duck, 324.
habits and haunts, 324.
abundant in England, 324.
description, 324.
Spring Cramp—how used, 381.
Squirrels, 350.
varieties, habits, locality, 351.
general characteristics, 351.
activity and strength, 353.
captivity of, 354.
other characteristics, 355.
enemies of, shooting, 356.
Barking, flesh of, 857.
Squirrel, Gray, 358.
migratory, 308.
dimensions, locality, 358.
habits and migrations, 359.
cooking, 484.
Staley, Andrew, shooting in company
with, 130.
Stirley, John, White Snipe in possession
of, 208.
Stock, gun, shape of, 402.
various styles of, 403.
Stockton, H. H., remarkable Partridge
shot by, 84.
Stockton, Commodore—
experiments on bursting of guns,
418.
recoil of guns,
418, 424.
Stockings, shooting, 396.
St. Idephonso—
Woodcocks feeding in aviary of, 173.
St. Petersburg—frozen markets, 467.
Striker of a gun, 377:
Stone Curlew, (see Willet.)
Summer Duck, 326.
Anas sponsa, 326.
Wood Duck, 326.
beautiful fowl, 326.
delights in the small streams, 326
description, 327.
Surtace-boat, (see Battery.)
Swallows, the primary feathers in, 34.
shooting, a mere knack, 50.
Swan, American, 337.
Cygnus American, 337.
Swan, Trumpeter, 337.
Cygnus bucinator, 337.
habits, haunts, 337.
easily domesticated, 338.
Swans, a whiteness of, 42.
Sweden, Snipes in, 195.
Sykes, Mr.—patent powder-flask, 370.
Ly
TAPAHANNOCK MARSHES—
Partridges shot on, 78.
Tarsi, shanks of the legs, 35.
Taxidermy—
art of preserving and mounting
birds, 484.
directions for skinning birds, 485.
Lee, Mrs., work on, 488.
Brown, Captain, work on, 488.
preserving egg-shells, 489.
Teal, Blue-winged, 317.
Anas discors, 317.
habits and haunts, 317.
their food, 318.
how best cooked, 318.
description, 318.
Teal, Green-winged, 319.
Anas ecrecca, 319.
habits and characteristics, 319.
Telltale Snipe, 258.
Godwit, 258.
Greater Yellow-shanks, 258.
Scolopax vociferus, 258.
Tennessee—
Ruffed Grouse in barrens of,
143.
Pinnated Grouse in barrens of,
143.
Tertiary, third quill-feathers, 34.
their position and character, 34.
Tetrao umbellus, 148.
cupido, 156.
Canadensis, 164,
saliceti, 164.
XXXVlll
Tezcucan monarchs—
consumed large numbers of Tur-
keys, 188.
Thorpe, T. B., Woodcock fire-hunting by,
188.
Tibia, thigh-bone, 35.
Toomer, Richard and Edward—their
wonderful exploits with gun and
rifle, 50.
Turkey, Wild, 126.
Meleagris gallipavo, 126.
description, 127.
natural history of, 129.
in former times, 129.
their near extinction, 129.
found in Virginia, 130.
found in other States, 130.
Dr. Sargent’s remarks on, 130.
neighborhood of Natchez, 1381.
incubation, 1381.
very salacious, their conflicts, 131.
Audubon’s comments, 131.
preparing the nest, 132.
Dr. Sargent’s remarks, 132.
the action of the hen, 132.
conceal their eggs, 152.
number of eggs, 133.
young brood, 133.
their future life, 134.
but one brood, 134.
condition of the males, 134.
food of the, 134.
their introduction into Spain,
137.
their introduction into England,
187.
why called Turkey. 137.
a valuable fowl, 157.
Buffon on the origin, 138.
referred to by Prescott, 138.
domesticated by the Aztecs, 138.
INDEX.
Vv
VALISINERIA AMERICANA—
Venison soup, how made, 481.
Viellot, statement of, respecting the
habit of Woodcocks carrying their
young on their back, 175.
Virginia, Partridge-shooting in, 110.
Wild Turkey in, 130.
Vitellius, feast given by, 464.
Vitney, King of China, uses cannon, 480.
W
Wavpp1neG or Waps, various kinds, 365.
caution as to use of patent, 366.
with anointed edges, 368.
felt and paper, 368.
Walker’s percussion caps, 375.
their superiority, 375.
Walter Scott—account of a faithful dog,
45.
Walton, Sir Isaac, followers of, 326.
Washer, or washing-rod, 369.
Wetherill, George D.—
Partridges presented by, 74.
large bird shot by, 78.
large Woodcock in possession of,
169.
West Indies, Reed-Bird in, 214.
Snipe in, 194,
Western Hemisphere—
Wild Turkey indigenous to, 136.
Wheel-lock goune invented, 432.
Whewer, Whim, or Widgeon of England,
812.
Whimbrel, Scolopax pheepus of England,
244,
Whistling Plover, Charadrius apricarius,
248.
White thickening, 479.
consumed by the Tezcucan mon-| Widgeon, Anas Americana, 311.
archs, 138.
trapping, 138.
shooting, 139.
good dog for hunting, 140.
run with amazing celerity, 140.
easily killed, 140.
when roosting, 140.
Dr. Sargent’s remarks, 140.
decoying, 140.
enemies of, 141.
Turks, a band of pirates, 1386.
tufts of hair worn by the, 1387.
LU)
Upr, Louis EustacuE—
on the pleasures of the table, 465.
Uffano—remarks on the use of gun-
powder, 429.
Bald-pates, 311.
companion of the Canvas-back,
not inferior in flavor, 311.
locality, 311.
description, 312.
resembles the English Widgeon,
812.
how pursued in England, 818.
easily domesticated, 313.
at the North and South, 318.
Wild Fowl and Wild-fowl shooting,
peculiar construction of the rump
feathers of, 35.
terms applicable to, 42.
a flock of—a couple of, 42.
a team of—a badelynge of, 42.
how pursued in America, 259,
no childs’ sport, 259.
INDEX.
Wild Fowl and Wild-fowl shooting—
paraphernalia necessary for, 260.
use of liquor in, 260.
present and future numbers of,
on Chesapeake Bay, 305.
cooking, 476.
Wild celery, food of the Canvas-back, 270.
Wild Drake, (see Mallard.)
Willet—Scolopax semipalmata, 258.
Semipalmated Snipe, or Stone
Curlew, 253.
habits and haunts, 253.
not known in England, 254.
period and place of incubation,
254
their food, 254.
character of their flesh, 254.
description, 255.
affection for each other, 255.
Willow Grouse, 164.
Wilson’s anecdote of Ruffed Grouse, 146.
Snipe, Scolopax Wilsonii, 194.
Plover, 251.
Winniwarter and Gersheim of Vienna—
their substitute for percussion
caps, 370.
Wing, bastard, description of, 34.
lesser coverts of the, 34.
greater coverts of the, 34.
to stop the hemorrhage of, 490.
to pinion or amputate a wounded,
491
Wisconsin—
abundance of game in, 64.
Venison in, 64.
Prairie Chickens in, 64.
Pheasants, Partridges, and Wild
Turkeys in, 64.
immense shipment of game from,
64.
Wolves abundant in Iowa, 63.
great numbers destroyed, 91.
Woodcock—
terms applicable to, 41.
startling flight of the, 52.
cooking, 472.
Woodcock—Scolopax minor, 166.
attractive to the sportsman, 167.
XXX1x
Woodcock—continued.
nomenclature, 168.
description, 168.
compared with the English variety,
168.
height, one species, 168.
habits, migrations, 170.
formation of the head, 170.
imperfect vision, 170.
feeding and food, 171.
vulgar notion, 172.
as seen in the aviary of St. Ilde-
phonso, 173.
incubation, 174.
singular manceuvres, 175.
carrying their young—two broods,
175.
proper time for shooting, 176.
game-laws on the subject, 177.
ingenuity to conceal their young,
180.
resorts of, 182.
foolish ambition of killing, 183.
disappearance of, 185.
flight of, 187.
fire-hunting, description of, 187.
nets and snares to take, 189.
dogs for shooting, 190.
shooting in England, 191.
bells used for hunting, 191.
Woodpecker—
peculiar formation of the rump-
feathers of, 34.
Wrench, nipple or pivot, 383.
description and best kind, 383.
Y
YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE—
Scolopax flavipes, 258.
Youatt’s work on the Dog, 48.
great celebrity as a writer, 44.
work beautifully illustrated, 44,
edited by the author, 44.
Z
ZIZANIA AQUATICA, 222.
CHAPTER I.
EXPOSITION OF THE TECHNICAL TERMS USED BY ORNITHOLOGISTS. —
ITHOUT a cursory knowledge, at least, of
the technical terms employed by Orni-
thologists in their delineations of the
feathered race, we cannot expect all our
readers to understand or appreciate the
scientific descriptions which we have in-
y serted of the game-birds of our country;
it therefore appears to us that we cannot
do better than devote the first few pages
of this volume to the full elucidation of
these appellatives, which, in fact, are the A B © of Ornithology,
the Alpha and Omega of the branch.
3 33
34 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
This information, so important to the intelligent sportsman,
can be easily and quickly acquired by reference to the accom-
panying drawing, in connection with the explanations following
immediately after.
1. Auriculars, the ear coverts.—The soft feathers that cover
the organs of hearing.
2,2. The bastard wing, consisting of three or five feathers,
resembling the quills of the true wing; they are placed on a
small bone rising from the wrist-joint of the wing. The bastard
wing assists in flight by keeping the wing from turning upwards,
and contracts the points of the wing in a downward and backward
position to that of the course of the bird through the air.
3, 3. The lesser coverts of the wings.—These are the feathers
which are found in successive rows upon the wings; those on
the inside are termed wnder coverts, and are much less regarded
by ornithologists as a means of distinction than the others.
4,4. The greater coverts.—The wing feathers lying under the
lesser coverts; they are much larger and stronger than the latter.
5, 5. The primaries.—Large quill feathers taking their growth
from below the wrist-joint. The length and proportion of the
feathers control, in a wide degree, the movements of the bird in
the air. The nearer the longer primary quill approaches the
body, the more dexterous and beautiful will be the motion of
the bird when on the wing. The Hawks, Swallows, and various
other birds of rapid flight, that seize their prey in mid arr,
have the longest primary feather very near the body, and con-
sequently are enabled to turn and twist themselves with great
facility.
6, 6. The secondaries, or second quill feathers, spring from the
second bone of the wing. When the wing is extended, they fre-
quently appear like a continuation of the primaries.
7, 7. The tertiary, or third quill feathers, also arise from the
second bone, but much nearer the elbow-joint.
8, 8. The scapulars, or shoulder feathers, are formed by the
soft and downy feathers that cover the shoulder-bones, and are
TECHNICAL TERMS. 35
serviceable only as a protection to the parts which they sur-
round; they unite without any regularity with the plumage of
the back and wings.
9. The rump feathers and upper-tail coverts.—These feathers
are the continuation of the covering of the back, and are strong
in proportion to the peculiar habits of the bird. In the Wood-
pecker tribe, for instance, these feathers are very strong and
unusually long, as they make constant use of the tail as a
support and aid when climbing the trunks of trees; and so
it 1s with some water-fowl not webfooted, but obliged frequently
to take flight from the water. The tazl feathers in these last-~
mentioned birds afford the greatest assistance in springing into
the air.
10. The vent feathers and under-tail coverts, that extend from
the anus, or vent, to the tail underneath. These feathers are
much longer in some tribes of birds than others. Those that
have a constant habit of flirting up their tails—like, for example,
the Rallus Carolinus, and several species of small shore-birds—
have the vent feathers unusually well developed.
The taal feathers are various in size and numbers, and are
generally the most ornamental part of a bird. The tail per-
forms the most necessary office in the navigation of the bird
through the air; in fact, it is the rudder by which its course is
determined, and acts in concert with the will of the bird as freely,
as a ship obeys her helm.
11. Loral space.-—The space between the bill and eye.
12. Frons.—The forehead.
13. Corona.—Crown of the head.
(14. Occtiput.—The hind part of the head.
15. Flexure.—Bend of the wing.
16. Tarsi.—Shanks of the legs.
17. Tibta.—Thigh.
The upper and lower bills are called the superior and inferior
maxilla, or upper and lower mandibles.
Lris—irides.—The colored circle surrounding the pupil of the eye.
36 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Mentum.—The chin.
Guttur.—The throat.
Collum.—The neck.
Pectus.—The breast.
In measurement, the total length means from point of bill to
the end of middle tail feathers. Length of the wings means
from the bend of the wing to the end of the longest quill
feather. |
CHAPTER II.
SENSATION IN FEATHERS.
_, HE keenest sense of feeling through the
medium of the plumage is indispensably
necessary to the well-being of all the
feathered race.
The feathers, it is true, in themselves,
like several other portions of the body,
such, for example, as the nazls, claws,
beak, and hoofs, have no real consciousness
or actual perception of the sense of touch; still, they are enabled
by the nicest possible organization to convey the most delicate
impressions to those functions of the animal economy that do feel.
If such a wise provision of Nature did not exist, what, we
might ask, would become of all the numerous nocturnal birds
which seek their food only during the dark hours of night? The
whole tribe most indubitably would soon be killed off by striking
themselves against the various obstacles that they necessarily
encounter in their midnight rambles. This acute sensitiveness on
the part of feathers to outward impressions is not, perhaps, as
37
38 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
essential for those birds which fly only in the broad daylight as it
is to the numerous variety of owls, bats, &c. that seek their
prey solely during the lonely hours of darkness.
Nevertheless, a certain degree of this delicacy of perception is
absolutely requisite even for them, to secure their safety while per-
forming rapid flights through the thickets and forests which they
most generally inhabit or take shelter in. This, then, being the
case, is it not reasonable to infer that the feathers should at all
times be in the highest state of perfection? This physical con-
dition, however, could not be preserved if they were not shed or
renewed from time to time, as they necessarily would become soiled,
dried, broken, and ultimately totally unfit for this nice service by
the constant exposure they are subjected to, as well as the many
accidents they must, from their mode of life, encounter.
To remedy these evils, or rather to make provision for such
casualties, Nature, ever provident in all her works, very wisely
ordains that the feathered race shall mowlt, or, in other words,
doff their plumage entire, once or twice a year. The simple
shedding of the feathers is not the only precaution which a bene-
ficent Providence has established for the preservation of these,
the most extensive and beautiful portion of his creations. For
we may here also notice the remarkable changes that take place
in the tints of the plumage, more especially in those birds which
remain in the northern latitudes during the long and bleak
winters. Many of them, from the most sombre hues of spring
and summer, become pied, or even pure white: thus cunningly
adapting themselves to the pervading color of the objects by
which they are surrounded, they are the better able to conceal
themselves from the attacks of their many prowling enemies
that are now driven to great extremes for food. The protec-
tion afforded birds, as well as many of the smaller quadrupeds,
in this alteration of the color of their plumage and pelage, from
the aggressions’ of their more powerful foes, is not the only
benefit which results from this wise providence; as the chilling
effects of constant exposure to the excessive cold of those hibernal
SENSATION IN FEATHERS. 39
recions are somewhat abated by the transition to white, from the
well-established fact that a surface purely white reflects heat far
more copiously than a dark one; and consequently it is not diff-
cult for us to infer that, in like manner, it prevents any undue
waste of the animal heat by radiation.
The moulting of birds is very gradual, and few of them are
ever so bare of feathers as to prevent them from taking wing,
and even flying long distances.
The time of shedding the feathers varies in the different species
and in different climes; some mowlt late in the summer, some in
the early autumn, and some in the early spring.
The summer or autumnal moult is always the most complete;
the perennial is generally only a change of color of some portions
of the plumage, and not a thorough shedding of the feathers.
Those birds, as well as water-fowl, which extend their migrations
far to the North, for the purposes of procreation, receive their
fresh plumage after the period of incubation has entirely passed
by, so that they come out fresh and entirely freed from all the
filth and vermin which their previous sedentary occupations may
have entailed on them.
CHAPTER III.
SPORTING TERMS.
HE technical terms adopted by writers
on field-amusements should be perfectly
familiar to every sportsman, and ought to
be made use of on all occasions when rural
diversions are the subject of conversation.
Many of our sporting acquaintances are
most wofully deficient in a knowledge
of these designations, and consequently
make the most egregious blunders in
their vain efforts to appear aw fait in all that pertains to the dog
and gun. <A few minutes of study and reflection, my patient
friends, will make you all proficients in this branch of Orismology ;
therefore remain no longer in ignorance, even if 7t be bliss.
TERMS APPLICABLE TO DOGS.
A brace of pointers or setters. A couple of spaniels.
Aleash of “ x A couple and a half of spaniels.
40
SPORTING TERMS. 41
1. Toho! 7. Seek dead! find dead bird!
2. Down charge! 8. Fetch!
3. Back or heel! 9. Drop, sir!
4. Steady! steady there! 10. To mouth a bird.
5. Go on! on! 11. To run wild.
6. Hold up! up!
EXPLANATION OF THE ABOVE TERMS.
1. To make pointers or setters come to a stand.
2. Mf “3 i lie down while loading.
3. se - go behind.
4, ES ch ee careful when game is about.
}. S te a rise—a term of encouragement.
6. ; Fe < hold his head up so as to wind the game.
ts a ce me look for a dead bird.
8. a = bring the dead bird.
2 oo : s deliver up the dead bird.
10. To bite or chew a bird severely.
11. To run heedlessly, without caution.
By a pair is understood two of the same kind or species united or paired by
nature, male and female. Therefore, how evidently wrong it is to say a pair
of pointers, or a pair of setters!
By a couple, or brace. is understood the involuntary union of two individual
companions of the same species, either by a chain, noose, or tie.
PARTRIDGES.
A covey of partridges or birds. A brace and a half of partridges or
A brace of e birds.
To spring or flush “* “
GROUSE.
A brood of grouse. A leash of grouse.
A’ packs of To raise a ss
A brace of * “ (
WOODCOCKS.
A couple of woodcocks. A flight or fall of woodcocks.
A couple and a half of woodeocks. _‘To flush or start a woodcock.
SNIPE OR PLOVER.
A wisp or walk of snipes. A couple and a half of snipes or
A wing or congregation of plovers. plovers.
A couple of snipes or plovers. To spring a snipe or plover.
2 LEWIS 8 AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SMALL WILD-FOWL, OR SHORE-BIRDS, OF EVERY DESCRIPTION.
A flock of. A couple and a half of.
A couple of.
REED-BIRDS AND RAILS.
A flock of reed-birds. To get up a rail.
A dozen of reed-birds. To mark a rail.
Five, ten, fifteen, or twenty rails.
HARES.
A brace of hares. To start or move a hare.
A leash of hares.
LARGE WILD-FOWL.
A flock, team, or badelynge of wild A flock of teal.
ducks. A gang of brent.
A company or trip of wild ducks. A whiteness of swans.
A gaggle or flock of geese.
CHAPTER IV.
DOGS.
OR the most general and useful informa
tion regarding Dogs, we beg to refer
our readers to the American edition of
“‘Youatt,’’ published under our super-
vision, a short time since, by Lua &
BuancHaRD. ‘This valuable work con-
tains nearly all that is requisite for a
= sportsman to know in reference to these
sais interesting animals; and the enterprising
publishers deserve high commendation, and
the thanks of the whole sporting community, for the very excellent
manner in which they have put it through the press. No sportsman,
or even admirer of the faithful dog, should be without a copy of
this beautiful and instructive volume; in fact, every one who reads
it will find an abundance of interesting matter in its pages.
43
44 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
The author, as a veterinary surgecn, had for many years no
rival in England; his close observation, unremitted industry, and
extensive practice’ in the veterinary art, enabled him, during a
series of years, to lay up a store of information on these subjects
that no other individual could have possibly collected. Youatt’s
attention, either from choice or the force of circumstances, was
particularly directed to the Rud} of the history and pathology of
the canine race; and sportsmen cannot be too thankful for the
much useful matter that this practical writer has embodied in his
Work, a and which »by;-the- -by, was only given to the public a short
_ time before the clos of an honoralhile life, the greater ,portion of
which was. spent in the ndble effort to alleviate the sufferings,
lighten the labors, exalt Te einen, and .teach the mestimable
worth, of our domestic animals. « »* |
Much valuable pathological information, as well as other general
matter, will be found in Mr. Youatt’s book, which, upon the whole,
renders it the most complete work that has ever been dedtegted to
this faithful animal; and, as we said before, should be in the
hands of every lover of the dog. The volume is beautifully
embellished with numerous spirited engravings, which not a little
enhance its value in the eyes of every one. We do not intend our
observations as a puff, either for ourselves as connected with the
publication of the work, or for the benefit of those who have
brought it out, but we wish rather to draw the attention of the
reading public generally to the examination of the volume, being
convinced that it needs only to be known to be properly appre-
ciated; and by thus causing it to be appreciated we are richly
repaid in the pleasant reflection that we have done something to-
wards elevating the condition of that animal which, above all others,
owing to his untiring devotion and never-ceasing fidelity, should
elicit the greatest kindness and best treatment from the hands of
mankind.
The dog, par excellence, may be considered the type of all that
is noble and great; for, certainly, incorruptible fidelity, disin-
terested attachment, and a never-ceasing desire to be useful to
DOGS. 45
man, are attributes sufficiently high in their moral bearing to en-
title the possessor to this exalted position from among all other
animals. From the remotest ages of the world down to the
present time, we find the dog the intimate associate of man, the
protector of his habitation, the guardian of his flocks. No
neglect, no ill-treatment, can drive him from our doors; he bears
every Oppression, forgives every blow, and obeys every command.
As from instinct,.the dog abandons his own personal liberty,
shuns even the members of his own race, and associates himself
entirely with man as his dearest friend; and no cause, however
great, 18 sufficient, in his estimation, to break asunder these volun-
tary ties or destroy this beloved connection. He asks but a trifle
for his proffered services: a kind word, an occasional smile, a
fragment of our abundance, or a mere mite of our poverty, is all
that he requires. The extremes of luxury or indigence are alike
the same to him, so that he enjoys the companionship and kind-
ness of his allotted master, let him be a prince or a beggar. For
his master alone he leaps for joy when spoken to; on him alone
he fondles when caressed ; for him alone he grieves when absent ;
exults at his return, and even in the sadness of his heart pines
away over his deserted grave.
“Dark green was the spot, ’mid the brown mountain heather,
Where the pilgrim of nature lay stretched in decay;
Like the corpse of an outcast, abandoned to weather,
Till the mountain winds wasted the tenantless clay ;
Nor yet quite deserted, though lonely extended,
For, faithful in death, his mute favorite attended,
The much-loved remains of her master defended,
And chased the hill-fox and the raven away.
How long didst thou think that his silence was slumber!
When the wind waved his garments, how oft didst thou start!
How many long days and long weeks didst thou number
Ere he faded before thee, the friend of thy heart !’’*
* A young man lost his life by falling from one of the precipices of the Helvellyn
Mountains. Three months afterwards his remains were discovered at the bottom
of a ravine, and his faithful dog, almost a skeleton, still guarding them. Sir
Walter Scott beautifully describes the scene as above.—Youatt on the Dog.
46 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
How different is all this from the attachment or submission that
we witness in the other domesticated animals, all of which, we
may say, have been reclaimed with much trouble, and enslaved
contrary to their own will! They submit alone to our arbitrary
wishes through the fear of punishment or the hope of reward;
they greedily partake of our proffered food, and perform in return
their apportioned labors: these forced duties at an end, they
neither court the society of man nor manifest any particular
pleasure at his presence or pain at his absence; and if left to
themselves, would soon relapse into their original state of freedom
and independence.
CHAPTER V.
Bry
ART OF SHOOTING ON THE WING. 447.
VM
‘All the sports of the field are delightful, 1 own
But none can with shooting compare ;
’Tis a joy that entices the king from his throne,
Tis a joy that the wisest may share.
The voice of the hound on the breeze of the morn,
The note of the bugle, may please ;
The song of the wild bird is sweet from the thorn,
But the gun has more music than these.”
OST persons unconversant with the use of
the gun are naturally led to believe that
there is some great mystery or some
extraordinary sleight-of-hand work con-
nected with the art of shooting birds
when on the wing. This opinion is often
so firmly engrafted on the minds of cer-
tain sensitive individuals that they are
ever unwilling even to make a trial of their own dexterity in
47
48 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
this way, feeling satisfied that they could never arrive at any
degree of perfection in an art so difficult to acquire. Or, if they
should be tempted to venture in the field with some one of their
associates more experienced in the use of the gun, expecting a
day’s enjoyment, they become so discouraged at their want of
success, as well as perplexed at the inability of their sporting
companion to give them any definite or systematic instruction for
shooting, that they not unfrequently withdraw from the field
completely mortified and disgusted with every thing appertaining
to the sport; when, by a little perseverance and a few well-timed
hints from their companion, they might soon have arrived at that
pinnacle of fame to which all sportsmen aspire; we mean—a good
shot !
We ourselves do not pretend to be a great shot, but, on the
contrary, are very modest in our claims upon this point; but
because we cannot kill every bird we fire at, that 1s no reason why
we may not instruct others, so that they, by longer practice, may
arrive at this degree of excellence, if they wish it, but to which
we have neither the ambition to aim nor the time at our disposal
to acquire. It is no uncommon circumstance in the study of the
arts and sciences for the pupil to excel the master; and we
suppose, or rather we flatter ourselves, that we may yet look
forward to encountering some one of our own pupils in the field
who will not hesitate to snub our nose whenever an opportunity
offers. If such should be the case, we shall be happy in the
knowledge of having done some good for our country, and more
particularly for the sports of the field.
The first grand desideratum to be considered by the pupil is
the possession of a good gun, of which, however, we will speak
more particularly under the chapter on fire-arms. The next great
acquisition to be sought after is coolness and deliberation, for
without these qualities you might as well leave the gun in its case,
and walk into the fields with a dog at your heels, and a shooting-
cracker in your hand ready to throw at the birds as they rise
from the stubble, in the vain hope of frightening fen to death
!
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 49
by the noise of the explosion, as to fire a gun over them without
perfect self-possession and composure. Without coolness and
deliberation, a young shooter, or even an old shooter, can hope to
accomplish but little in the field. In fact, we have seen the best
of shots miss bird after bird during a whole day’s excursion,
owing to some unexpected but perhaps trifling occurrence which
had interrupted their natural equanimity of temper, and thereby
destroyed that coolness and deliberation which are so essential
for the proper handling of the fowling-piece. Success in shooting,
all the paraphernalia being equally good, is dependent in a great
measure upon coolness and deliberation; the first and most import-
ant step, therefore, to be taken by a young shooter, is the resolu-
tion to acquire as soon as possible a perfect control over all his
movements during the excitement consequent upon the springing
of a covey of partridges, the whir of a woodcock, or the sudden
and irregular flight of a snipe. This mastery over his feelings
being once acquired, there will be no difficulty in the way of a
rapid progress in the art of shooting on the wing. Having
selected, with the assistance of a sporting friend, a gun, made by
the most approved gunsmith, practise the handling of it in your
own room; be sure that it comes up to the shoulder right, and
that the eye runs along the barrel with facility. Bring it up
to your shoulder ever and anon; take sight along its barrel at
some small object placed in the farthest corner of the room: a
red wafer, or a piece of colored paper stuck on the wall, will
answer this purpose. By practising in this way for a short time,
a certain degree of ease in the handling of the gun will be
acquired, and then it will be as well to crack off a few caps by
way of accustoming the ear and eye to the explosion, as also
familiarizmg the finger with the touch of the trigger. Having
occupied the leisure moments of a few days in this kind of sport,
it will be high time to sally forth to the fields and spend a portion
of the day in practising the art of shooting on the wing any of
the small birds that we may meet in our rambles over the country.
Many young sportsmen exercise their skill upon swallows.
4
50 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
But it is not a good practice, and cannot be attended with any
particular benefit to them, as the swallow’s flight is so entirely
different from any known game-bird that one might soon become
expert in killing these harmless but useful little creatures without
ever being able to bag a partridge, a woodcock, or a snipe.
Swallows fly with considerable swiftness and great irregularity,
and cannot be easily killed except when they stop or rather poise
themselves for an instant in the air to seize their prey, and while
in this position the veriest bungler that ever handled a gun can
soon become expert in knocking them over. Any of the smaller
and less interesting birds that fill the groves during the spring
and autumn months have flights resembling that of partridges
much more than that of the swallow does, and more improvement
may be derived from shooting a few of them than the slaughter
of one-half of all the swallows found about a large farm. For,
after all, the shooting of swallows is nothing but a knack, acquired
by a little observation and practice, just as any other kind of
shooting or in fact sleight-of-hand work; but then it should be
remembered by the young aspirant that he may spend much labor
and time both in acquiring this knack, without in the least benefit-
ing himself so far as the shooting of partridges or any other kind
of game-bird is concerned.
Nicety in shooting exclusively at some particular objects, in
some particular mode, may be carried to a degree of perfection
scarcely to be conceived of, as witnessed in the feats of the bro-
thers Toomer, as described by several English writers. °
Of these two celebrated marksmen, Blaine remarks that Richard
and Edward Toomer, with their rifles and a single ball, killed
eight pigeons out of twelve, shooting alternately; and one of the
pigeons that did not drop, had a leg carried off by the ball. They
likewise with a sengle ball struck twice, out of four shots, a cricket-
ball thrown into the air; and Richard at a cricket-match, his gun
being loaded with shot, struck the ball twelve successive times,
when bowled by one of the sharpest bowlers in all England. Our
backwoodsmen years ago brought rifle-shooting to so high a state
SHOOTING ON THE WING, iL
of excellency that their ordinary performances seemed marvellous
even to the German Jigers, who have always been esteemed the
very best marksmen of the Old World. Killing with a single ball
squirrels from the tops of the highest trees, as well as cutting off
the head of a wild turkey or other large bird at the distance of
one hundred yards or more when in full flight, was a common feat
with these hardy huntsmen. In fact, so expert were the keel-boat- _
men of the Mississippi in handling the rifle, that they did not
hesitate, in a spirit of playfulness, even at a long distance, to cut
the pipe out of the hat-band of a companion, or unexpectedly
upset a cup of whiskey that might at lunch-time be for the moment
resting on some one’s knee. Driving the nail at forty paces,
snuffing the candle at fifty, and shooting an apple or other small
objects from the heads of each other, were the favorite amuse-
ments of these daring marksmen.*
It is also not an uncommon circumstance to meet with persons
who can lay a double-barrelled gun, cocked, on the ground, throw
two pennies up in the air and strike them both, before touching
the ground. ‘This same degree of nicety in handling the gun and
perfecting the eye may be acquired in pigeon-shooting, as wit-
nessed in the wonderful exploits laid down under this head by
numerous English authors, and as detailed from time to time of
our own shooters in the columns of the Spirit of the Times. But
all these various kinds of shooting, though exhibiting much skill
and perfection in the art, will not qualify a person for taking the
field with an experienced sportsman; as the killing of game is
quite a different thing from knocking over the tame, quiet, and
phlegmatic house-pigeon, that, rismg from the trap with a certain
degree of regularity, although with a sudden impetus imparted to
it by the operations of the spring, and most frequently taking a
bewildered though easy flight, is brought down with the greatest
facility by those accustomed to its usual course of action at such
times.
* See Thorpe’s Remembrances of the Mississippi.
52 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
How tame, how vastly different is all this to the sudden and
unlooked-for spring of the vigorous little partridge, as with a
startling noise he bounces up from under our very feet, and, long
before any save the initiated one can recover from his bewilder-
ment and bring his piece to bear upon the affrighted bird, has fairly
soared far beyond his reach—yes, even beyond his sharpest vision.
And then, again, the deep, sonorous, and still more perplexing
whir of the ruffed grouse, as he goes booming off through the
entangled thickets bordering the mountain streams; or the delve-
resounding start of the lonely woodcock, as he rushes through
the marshy brake, all in the full vigor and freshness of his native
freedom; or the still more confusing zigzag flight of the fickle
snipe, as he springs wildly from the oozy marsh.
The whirring noise consequent upon the springing of a covey or
even of a single bird is not a little trying to the nerves of a
young shot; and it requires some considerable time to accustom his
ears to this startling sound, which, however, will wear off by
degrees, no matter how nervous he may be at first. When the
dogs have come to a stand, advance noiselessly and with firmness
towards the spot indicated, holding the gun cocked, and with the
muzzle in such a position that its contents could not injure any
one of the company, even if it should by any mishap go off before
you have the proper range on the birds. Be careful, above all,
not to shoot the dogs; which accident, by-the-by, has happened
more than once to heedless beginners. When the birds are
flushed, raise the gun with perfect coolness and deliberation ;
single out first one bird and then another, if you have a double-
barrelled gun, as every sportsman should have, and be sure not to
pull trigger upon either of them till they are well covered. That
is, when looking down the barrel-plate, the eye, the sight, the
point, and the bird, are all in the same line: this, then, is the
moment to fire; do not hesitate an instant; do not dwell upon the
object after it is once covered, or you will inevitably lose the poimt
of sight, and the load will pass under the bird.
The eye in a correct light is seldom wrong in its calculations,
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 53
seldom deceived as regards distances or positions; seldom, in fact,
at fault in any one particular; it is to some one of the many other
circumstances upon which the proper handling of the fowling-piece
is dependent that we must attribute the frequent habit of missing ;
such, for example, as a want of self-possession, over-anxiety, care-
less loading, hurry, nervousness, or some such causes. Be careful
not to shut both eyes just at the instant of pulling the trigger, as
some beginners do; neither throw the muzzle of the gun up or
down with a sudden jerk, but let it lie perfectly free in the grasp.
By followimg these few instructions, although you may miss your
bird over and over again during the first day’s shooting, still, we
are confident that you will attain in a very short space of time to
some considerable cleverness in the art. When there is a fair and
open shot and the bird not killed, you may depend upon it that it
was not properly covered; or, if it was, the gun, by some imper-
ceptible movement, must have been carried from its proper direc-
tion at the instant of firmg, or the bird might have perchance
varied its straight course at the critical moment of being covered.
One of these three things must have taken place provided the gun
was loaded properly, otherwise the bird would have inevitably been
brought down. We do not pretend to say that every one on going
for the first time into the field will acquire in an incredibly short
time this beautiful accomplishment of shooting on the wing by the
mere committing to memory of any set of rules for the handling
of a gun. But, on the other hand, we must assure the novice that
without pretty constant practice and great attention he will never
attain the art; but when once acquired it is seldom lost, except
temporarily, so long as the visual organs are perfect and the
physical powers sufficiently strong to carry him into the field in
pursuit of game. No doubt thousands of sportsmen arrive at
great excellence in shooting without ever reading a line on the
subject or receiving a word of advice from the more experienced ;
but still, their progress has been very slow and up-hill kind of
work, and their object accomplished at last only by long practice
and observation. We do not, however, wish our readers to under-
54 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
stand that any one can acquire the art of shooting on the wing
without patience, practice, and study, as we do not believe any
such thing, and would be sorry to attempt the promulgation of
such a fallacy. But we do assert that the young beginner will
much sooner, and with much more pleasure to himself, arrive at
this desirable end, by giving heed to the experience of those who
have gone before him, no matter whether the instruction be im-
parted orally or by means of the pen. That there are certain
fundamental rules for acquiring this accomplishment no one will
deny; and these rules should be made as simple and as few as
possible; in fact, reduced down to a few words of caution, which
may be embodied in the following line:—Be cool and deliberate,
and never draw the trigger till the bird is well covered. We do
not wish to bother the novice with a long array of written instruc-
tions for shooting, as information obtained in this way is too often
a mere matter of rote, and cannot be of any great practical utility ;
we desire, however, to impress upon his memory a few short rules
that will secure him from the commission of many faults and pre-
vent him from fallig into the common errors of most beginners.
This end being accomplished, we abandon him to the practical
operations of the field, which of themselves will soon make him
skilful, if he possess any of that aptness for sport which seems in-
herent in many of those who follow the dog and gun as a source
of the most healthful and exhilarating amusement.
Although by strictly adhering to the golden rule, be cool and
deliberate, and never draw the trigger till the bird is well covered,
the novice without doubt will miss many birds, as they will often
get beyond the reach of his shot long before he has fairly covered
them, more particularly if shooting in thickets or woods, never-
theless, he will find, at the conclusion of the day, that he has not
made out so very bad, and, we can assure him, much better than
if he had shot at every bird before it had flown ten steps from the
spot whence it sprang. ‘To-be-sure, he will often feel mortification
and disappointment at the sight of a partridge sailing off untouched
by his fire, although well covered by the gun: this chagrin, how-
SHOOTING ON THE WING. a8)
ever, will be of short duration, as, on the springing of the next
bird, he will involuntarily strive to be somewhat smarter in his
movements, but at the same time adhering strictly to the golden
rule of coolness and deliberation; and his efforts on this occasion
will perhaps be crowned with greater success. The bagging, then,
of this one bird will recompense for many others lost, and at the
same time impress upon him the importance of sticking to the
principles upon which he entered the field, and make him a firm
convert to the absolute utility of giving heed to our instructions;
for he will find that as often as he departs from these rules and
fires his gun at random, just so often will he be disappointed in the
result, and will also learn that the chances of killing birds at ran-
dom shots are very few, even when fired into a large covey; for
how frequently have we seen even the most experienced sportsmen
shoot into coveys without ruffling a feather, owing entirely to the
circumstance of the birds all rising, as it were, in a mass together,
and confusing him by their proximity and numbers; or, in other
words, throwing him off his guard, and depriving him momentarily
of that coolness and deliberation of which we are speaking! It is
very difficult, at times, even for an old sportsman to suppress a
feeling of anxiety, a kind of nervous trepidation that involuntarily
creeps over him when advancing upon a covey that he feels certain
is spread out around him, but at the same time entirely ignorant
of the exact spot from whence the birds will spring. Under these
circumstances, the heart of an old shooter is apt to palpitate with
a slight but agreeable emotion, while the warm blood of the tyro
rushes through his system with a velocity that often makes his
whole frame quiver with excitement. If, then, he misses his bird,
it is not to be wondered at, as the confusion and noise consequent
upon the flushing of a covey of frightened birds is no small affair,
but, on the contrary, is well calculated to upset his already-shaken
nerves and throw him entirely off his guard; insomuch that he
mechanically raises his gun and bangs away, harum-scarum, with-
out the least aim, and then is mortified as well as astonished that
56 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
he did not kill half a dozen birds from among so many immediately
under his nose.
It is to steel the heart of the novice against this emotion that
we wish to impress upon him, in the most forcible manner, the im-
portance of coolness and deliberation in all his actions; for rest
assured that without these two chief requisites he will never make
a good shot, but always be a bungler and a dangerous person to
go out with, as he will be sure some time or other to shoot either
himself, a friend, or his dog.
CROSS SHOTS.
We have in the previous pages been endeavoring to explain
more particularly the rules for plain or straight shooting; that
is, when a bird is going directly from us, as partridges most gene-
rally do when a covey is flushed. We will now speak of the rules
for cross shooting.
Many persons can kill birds with a great deal of certainty
when they are flying from them; but, for want of a little attention
to the subject, are constantly at fault when they come to pull upon
birds that are either crossing to the right or the left, more
particularly the former. The first thing to be observed by the
sportsman when considering a ‘‘cross shot” is the velocity with
which the bird flies, and the distance it is off from him at the
moment of firmg. These two circumstances must be determined
upon in his own mind in a moment of time, as it were, by intwz-
tion; for when the game is on the wing there is no opportunity for
the exercise of inductive reason to arrive at these points. This
faculty of rapid discrimination or rightly judging the distance
that the bird is from us, or the velocity with which it is moving
through the air, every shooter must soon acquire by practice;
otherwise he can never become a superior marksman, but will
constantly find himself missing the fairest cross shots. The
American partridge, more particularly when frightened, or rather
startled by the sportsman, flies with amazing velocity, perhaps
swifter and stronger than any other game-bird in the world. The
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 57
ordinary flight of the English partridge is nothing to compare to it
in point of speed—we mean, of course, a full-grown December bird.
This being the fact, there is no doubt that our bird requires much
more calculation and precision to bring it down when crossing.
When flushed, partridges, except in sections of the country
where they are seldom or never hunted, boom off at the top of
their speed; and if they attain a distance of forty, fifty, or sixty
paces before we succeed in fairly covering them, it will be neces-
sary to sight the gun a little in advance of them in the regular
line of their flight. If the birds are very large and strong,—
which, by-the-by, most generally is the case in November and
December,—it will be better to allow a still greater distance
between the bird and the point of sight, and then perhaps we shall
not unfrequently have the mortification of seeing our intended
victim move off unhurt save the loss of the tail feathers. If the
course of the bird should be oblique, as is often the case, the same
rules for shooting will apply, save that the point of aim should be
about half the distance in advance of the bird, as if it were flying
directly across. There is another point in cross shooting which we
must not forget to impress upon the attention of our readers, other-
wise all our previous remarks on the subject will prove nugatory
and go for nothing. What we refer to is the absolute necessity
of accustoming the hand and eye to keep up the lateral motion
imparted to the gun when sighting it on the object till after the
piece is discharged. If attention be not paid to this point, and at
the moment of pulling the trigger the gun is arrested in its onward
progress, the whole load will most inevitably pass behind the bird;
as the time intervening between the pulling of the trigger and the
passage of the shot through the air to the intended victim is quite
sufficient to allow of its getting beyond the point of sight first
caught at by the eye.
The distance intervening between the bird and the point of
sight is the space granted the bird for flying through the air
during the passage of the shot from the muzzle of the gun to the
point of sight, and not for the pulling of the trigger, ignition of
58 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the powder, and the escape of the load from the barrel. All this,
to-be-sure, appears only to be a momentary, if not an instanta-
neous affair; but such is not the fact, as every shooter can testify
to; for it is a self-evident fact that some time must elapse between
the accomplishment of these two acts—the pulling of the trigger
and the escape of the charge from the gun. This time will be
regulated in a great measure by the quality of the powder and
the construction of the gun, which, however, will be spoken of
particularly under a more appropriate head. If, therefore, the
motion of the gun be stopped during the time of pulling the
trigger and the escape of the load, the bird will inevitably have
got beyond the reach of the shot, unless we should allow double
the distance to intervene between the bird and the point of sight,
and this kind of shooting would be very uncertain. Therefore,
we repeat again that it is of the utmost importance that the gun
should continue its gentle movement in the line of flight at the
proper distance in advance of the game till after the pulling of
the trigger. Most young shots have a strong inclination to arrest
the progress of the gun when pulling the trigger, which, if not
early corrected, degenerates into a settled habit that is very diffi-
cult to be overcome. :
A bird crossing to the right is generally considered more difficult
to shoot than when going to the left, and very justly so; as the gun,
being balanced on the left hand, can be carried towards that side
with more ease and freedom than it can towards the right. If any
of our readers are dubious on this point, let him take a gun in his
hand and place himself in the usual position to fire, and he will
readily perceive what we mean, as upon trial he will find it difficult
to take sight on an object even at right angles with his right side,
whereas he will be able to turn himself with ease so far to the left
that he can shoot in a direct line behind his person.
A bird when crossing is much easier killed, if struck, than
when going straight from you or coming towards you, as the vital
parts are somewhat protected in the first case by the rump, and
in the second the shot is very apt to glance off from the thick
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 59
feathers of the breast. When a bird is flying towards you or over
your head, you will be very apt to miss it: the better plan is to
wait till it has passed, and then turn and take a fair shot at it.
If, however, you prefer shooting as the bird advances towards you,
aim for the head, or rather the bill, when he has arrived at a fair
shooting distance. If coming very swiftly, as they most generally
do when frightened, it will not be too much to aim even a foot
or more before the bird. When shooting at long distances, be
careful to hold the gun full high; as shot, after going a certain
distance, has, as a matter of course, a downward tendency. The
most common fault committed by sportsmen generally is the too
frequent habit of shooting under their game; and we are satisfied
from repeated observation that where one bird is missed by shoot-
ing too high, ten are missed by shooting too low. When, however,
the game is flushed on the side of a hill and takes a downward
course, the point of aim should then be at the feet, or the load
will pass over the object, as it must be recollected that the bird is
now descending—quite the opposite of its usual habit. To ob-
viate the inconvenience arising from the smoke of the first barrel,
or, in other words, to prevent the smoke of the first barrel
interfering with the shooting or sighting of the second barrel,
more particularly when a covey rises, we would advise our readers
to get as many cross shots as possible. This can be done by
either heading the dogs or by flushing the birds from the side, and
not going directly on the game from the dogs, which practice, by-
the-by, most generally is bad.
COVERT SHOOTING.
In covert shooting the same rules are applicable as we have
already laid down for open shooting; the only difference is, that
we must be more fully on the qui vive to take advantage of all
and every chance, as we often see the bird for a moment only,
and then it is lost to our sight among the trees or thick under-
wood; and, as before remarked, we constantly kill birds in thick
coppices without ever seeing them at all.
60 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
A snap shot is more successful in the woods than a plain shot;
and the reader should recollect that in firing snap shots the fault
most generally committed is shooting under the bird, forgetting
that the bird is on the rise, almost always, when first flushed.
Never beat the bushes with your gun, or you may shoot a
favorite dog, or perhaps, what would be a hundred times worse,
you may shoot a friend; the habit is an unsportsmanlike and
dangerous one, and should never be tolerated in a companion.
You cannot be too careful with your gun in covert shooting;
its position should be watched with the most jealous attention,
and never for one moment neglected, more especially if shooting
in company; for a twig or a bough may catch the hammer or
trigger at any moment, and commit perhaps irreparable imjury
either to yourself or friend. Be ever cautious also in climbing
fences or jumping ditches.
BOTH EYES OPEN.
Some shooters fire with both eyes wide open. This practice
is a mere peculiarity acquired by some ready shots, but which
does not possess a single advantage over the old style of closing
the left eye to recommend it to our notice. But, on the con-
trary, we are convinced that no one, except by very long prac-
tice, can shoot with the same degree of certainty with both eyes
open as he can when one is shut in the usual way. The manner
of acquiring this knack is to hold the eyes steadily upon the
object, bring the gun up to the proper position, and draw upon
the trigger without sighting down the barrel, the hand and finger
actually obeying the promptings of the eye without there being
any actual collusion, or, rather, concert of action, between the two
organs. Some sportsmen, however, recommend the novice to
begin shooting with both eyes upon the game, insisting that this
practice is the best. Although we differ with these gentlemen
upon this subject, we do not wish our opinions to be considered
paramount, or more worthy of credence than theirs, but, on the
contrary, are willing to believe all they say upon this head, not-
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 61
withstanding our own personal experience teaches us quite the
contrary. For ‘“‘snap shooting’ this plan certainly answers a
very good purpose; but a ‘“‘snap shot” is generally a very dis-
agreeable companion to shoot with, and we would not advise any
of our friends to be ambitious in this particular. The birds are
usually, under the hands of a “snap shot,” horribly mangled, and
frequently fired upon before his companion has time to put up his
piece, which, to say the least of it, if often repeated, is ill-bred
on the part of the shooter and mortifying to his companion.
Although we do not admire a “snap shot,” we trust that our
readers will not understand us as recommending a ‘poking shot”
to their attention; for we most heartily detest a ‘poking shot,”
who brings up his gun ever and anon, and dwells upon his bird,
following it in its course for several yards before drawing the
trigger, or perhaps takes his gun down without firing at all, com-
placently remarking ‘‘that he could not cover it to his satis-
?
faction.”” Such a poker usually prides himself upon his excellent
shooting; that is, notes down with unexampled minuteness the
exact number of shots he has made in the course of the day
without missing a bird. Such kind of shooting we entirely
eschew, and consider it beneath the dignity of a true sportsman;
as for ourselves, we would rather miss three shots out of five, all
day long, than go pottering about in this style, picking our shots.
If the art of shooting is to be reduced to such a systematic piece
of business that we are never to shoot except when we are sure
of killmg our bird, we for one would be glad enough to abandon
the field altogether, as one-half, if not all, the pleasurable excite-
ment consequent upon the pursuit of game consists in the un-
certainty, the doubts, the disappointments, and hopes, that we
encounter. If on the one hand we suffer some personal chagrin
owing to our carelessness in missing a fair shot, we receive on the
other hand double gratification in killing on a doubtful chance;
and the results of the day’s shooting will always be in favor of the
man who shoots at all and every chance, though he may have
missed three times as often as the tedious “potterer.”’
62 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Avail yourself of every opportunity to shoot, more particularly
when the birds are scattered in thick cover early in the season, as
you will acquire by this means a knack of killing the birds even
when they have passed entirely from your sight behind the thick
foliage. This knack is a very necessary one in early autumn
shooting, before Jack Frost has sufficiently nipped vegetation with
his icy fingers. This kind of shooting requires considerable prac-
tice, a quick eye and a ready hand, and is the style of shooting
that all American sportsmen have to attain; and it is in this
particular more especially that they excel the great field-shots
of England. Most of the shooting in the Atlantic States is done
in the wood and thick cover, through which the birds at some
seasons can scarcely force their way; and we are not astonished
that English sportsmen speak so disparagingly of its pleasures, as
partridge shooting with us is quite a different affair from going out
after them in the rich stubbles of their preserves; and what is stall
worse for them, when they have found our birds, they discover,
greatly to their mortification, that they cannot kill them near as
often as they do their own varieties, without first serving some-
thing of an apprenticeship to the sport, under the guidance of
some one of their friends more skilled in the craft of our game.
When shooting in the open stubble-fields, we are enabled to see
the game, and correctly judge of position, distance, bulk, &c.;
but in the woods and coppices of our country we do not actually
see, but learn to guess at all these necessary circumstances; and
that, too, without the exercise of thought in the operation, if such
a thing were possible; as the arm in most instances seems to obey
a sudden and irresistible impulse, no time being allowed for any
action of the mind upon the subject, for in thicket-shooting we
often kill birds without ever seeing them. The difficulty of killing
partridges is not the only thing that the English sportsman has to
complain of, as will be seen in the following extract, taken from
the journal of a traveller who appears to have been both dis-
couraged and disappointed in his expectations of sporting in
America :—
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 63
‘“‘ Hares and pheasants there are none, and partridges are scarce;
woodcocks and snipes are uncertain, both as to season and situa-
tion. It is true that great quantities of other birds may sometimes
be killed,—for instance, wild ducks and pigeons, which are seen
occasionally in flocks of many miles in extent; but, after all, and
much as I have heard of American shooting, in my opinion it is
poor, insipid diversion, compared with the English, being pursued
without any kind of system or science, and reminding me more of
the onsets of our mechanies and shopmen, let loose at Christmas
and on holidays, to range the fields no matter where, and pounce
upon all, no matter what, than of any thing worthy the name of
shooting. Let no English sportsman think to better himself by
emigration in this respect. I'll answer, upon trial, for his total
disappointment.”
In reply to the above, we must say that Mr. Fowler’s remarks
are calculated to give his countrymen a very unjust and unfavor-
able idea of sporting in the States. He must have been very un-
fortunate in the selection of his shooting-grounds when among us,
to be forced to assert that partridges are scarce in America, or
that woodcocks and snipes are uncertain both as to season and
situation; for all three of these birds are to be found in almost
every State of the Union in considerable abundance, at the proper
time, as will be found by referring to our articles on these sub-
jects. It would be folly in us to waste time in refuting all that
has been said by Englishmen in reference to our sporting; and we
therefore pass the matter over without further comment, as we are
satisfied that the contents of this book will tell a different tale from
what many of them have written.*
* What would Mr. Fowler’s readers think of the following extract, taken from
one of our daily Western papers, of March, 1855 ?—
‘*N. Powers, of Fayette County, Iowa, lately drove into Dubuque with a load of
game, consisting of one thousand partridges, one thousand prairie-hens, (grouse, )
one hundred hares, eight deers, five wolf-skins, two bear-skins.”
Or of this, from the ‘‘ Cleveland Leader :”—
«‘Dr. Short and his son shot two hundred and nineteen English snipe in one and
a half days on the borders of Mud Creek, near the head of Sandusky Bay. When
64 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
KILLING CLEAN.
Be not satisfied with wounding your game only, but aspire to
become a nice, clean shot, as it will save you much trouble and
vexation, and make your dog show to more advantage. For in-
stance, if a covey rise, and we wound two birds and see them
fluttermg on the ground before us, we feel great anxiety as to
their fate; and, fearing lest they might get off, or secrete them-
selves so that the dogs cannot find them, we can with difficulty sup-
press the strong desire that naturally rises in our mind to quit our
position, before loading, to secure them; much less, then, can we
hope to overcome this impulsive inclination on the part of our
dogs. In spite of repeated castigations, the excited animals will
rush after the fluttering birds, and persist in catching them, in
opposition to all our endeavors; and the consequence is the flush-
ing of one or two laggers, who often remain behind when the
coveys spring, and both of which might have been bagged if our
we consider that these birds are only shot singly, and only on the wing, we con-
sider this extraordinary shooting. They found the ducks rather scarce, as they
only bagged about fifty in two days.”
Or this, from the “‘ Lancaster Herald,” of Grant county, Wisconsin, of January,
1856 :—
«‘Game is very plenty with us, this season, in all parts of the State. Venison
is sold daily in our streets as common as pork and beef, and at the same price.
Prairie-chickens (pinnated grouse) and pheasants (ruffed grouse) are offered for
sale by the boys at our doors at one dollar to one dollar and a quarter per dozen,
partridges at forty cents per dozen, hares at one dollar per dozen, wild turkeys
twenty-five cents each.”
Or this, from the Philadelphia ‘‘ North American,” of January, 1856 :—
«“Witp GAME FROM THE West.—A week ago two hundred boxes of partridges,
averaging, probably, one hundred birds to a box, were shipped eastward from
Janesville, Wisconsin; and a short time previous to the 8th inst. two hundred
deer were shot in the neighborhood of Sparta, in the same State, and sent east-
ward.”
Or this, from the same journal, of a little later date :—
«‘The ‘ Vincennes Gazette’ notices the arrival at that place of two thousand four
hundred hares, six barrels of partridges, fourteen whole deer, twenty-five saddles
of venison, one hundred and forty-four prairie-hens, (grouse,) together with wild-
geese, wild ducks, wild turkeys, squirrels, &c. &c. to an almost incredible extent:
making, in all, five wagon-loads.”
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 65
piece had been loaded. Much time is also lost in hunting up
wounded birds, to say nothing of the labor and worriment attend-
ing it; for we know nothing more provoking than to see a bird
fall and flutter within a few feet of us and not be able to lay our
hand upon it. Every bird, therefore, should be killed dead at from
twenty-five to thirty paces and under, with a good gun and the
proper ammunition: we occasionally have knocked birds down at
much greater distances, even as far as fifty, sixty, and seventy
paces by actual measurement; but we esteem all such lucky shots
as mere accidents.
Not only on the score of vexation and trouble should the sports-
man strive to become a clean shot, but for humanity’s sake also,
as a bungler in this respect will mutilate and abandon to a linger-
ing death more birds in the course of a day than he will actually
bag. A bird with a broken wing or a torn leg dangling from its
body may live in misery and pain for several days, skulking
about solitary and alone, half-starved and parched with thirst, and
ultimately fall a victim to a prowling serpent, or be taken off by a
hawk or some other one of its enemies.
‘‘As glory more than gain allures the brave
To dare the combat loud or louder wave,
So the ambition of the sportsman lies
More in the certain shot than bleeding prize ;
While poachers, mindful of the festal hour,
Among the covey random slaughter pour,
And, as their number press the crimsoned ground,
Regardless reck not of the secret wound,
Which borne away, the wretched victims lie,
*Mid silent shades, to languish and to die.
Oh let your breasts such selfish views disclaim,
And scorn the triumph of a casual aim;
Disdain such rapine; of your skill be proud,
The object singling from the scattering crowd.”
5)
CHAPTER VI.
THE PARTRIDGE. PERDIX VIRGINIANUS.
“‘ How beautiful they look! with outstretched tails,
With heads immovable and eyes fast fixed,
One foreleg raised and bent, the other firm,
Advancing forward, presses on the ground.”
=) HIS beautiful bird, so well known and
eagerly sought after by all the sports-
men of our country, is found in consider-
able abundance in almost every State of
the Union, extending from the extreme
parts of Canada even to the southernmost
banks of the Rio Grande. The inhabit-
ants of the Northern States call it quail;
in the Middle or Southern States it is more familiarly known as
the partridge, or Virginia partridge.
The habits and natural history of the American partridge
having already been so amply descanted upon by many able
66
THE PARTRIDGE. 67
ornithologists who have graced this country by their presence and
enriched our libraries with their splendid works, that it would seem
superfluous, if not really hopeless, in us to attempt to add any
thing further upon a subject thus dwelt upon by others far more
competent to the task. However, as we propose bringing to the
notice of our readers the practical experience of shooters in
general, in connection with the more scientific observations and
researches of ornithologists, regarding all those birds of our
country which properly belong to the sportsman’s catalogue, we
must be pardoned, ex necessitaté rerum, for going over much
ground already touched upon by other writers in the many excel-
lent works already published on this branch of Natural History.
“The partridge is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in
extent; the bill is black; line over the eye, down the neck, and
whole chin pure white, bounded by a band of black, which de-
scends and spreads broadly over the throat; the eye is dark hazel;
down neck and upper part of the breast, red-brown; sides of the
neck spotted with white and black, on a reddish-brown ground;
back scapulars and lesser coverts, red-brown intermixed with ash
and sprinkled with black; tertials edged with yellowish-white,
beautifully marked with numerous curving spots or arrowheads of
black; tail, ash sprinkled with reddish-brown; legs, very pale ash.’
The above accurate description, (as well as the major part of
the other scientific descriptions of birds in this work,) taken from
Wilson, being so perfect in itself, there remains nothing to add,
except that the female bird is distinguished from the male by its
diminished weight and size, and also by its plumage being some-
what yellowish-brown about the chin and sides of the head.
HABITS.
Partridges, in sections of the country where they are much
troubled by sportsmen, become extremely shy and wild, seldom
venturing far into the open fields, but confining themselves to the
edges of close cover, to which they take at the slightest alarm,
secreting themselves in the thickets, and not unfrequently perch-
68 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
ing upon the branches of the largest forest-trees. The act of
perching upon trees is not, however, a natural habit of this bird,
but appears to be solely the result of fright, or, perhaps, a pre-
caution of safety which circumstances have taught it to adopt to
escape from its pursuers. In hilly and mountainous districts,
partridges are much more apt to fly to the trees than in other
parts; and in such a locality we knew of a whole covey betaking
themselves to a tree and remaining there, perfectly concealed
from view, for some considerable time, greatly to our mystification,
and that of our dogs also.*
In their natural undisturbed state, partridges delight in the
open country, frequenting without fear the stubble-fields apper-
taining to the well-cultivated farms of our agriculturists, where
they can obtain a plentiful supply of loose grain. The morning
and evening is the time when partridges feed. When the weather
is favorable, they leave their roost at an early hour of the day,
and, being very industrious feeders, they are soon able to retire
from the open fields to some favorite and secluded spot, to bask in
the mid-day sun or roll themselves in the dust to rid their plumage
of the vermin with which all birds are more or less infested.
Partridges are not strictly migratory birds, as the greater portion
of them remain distributed throughout the northern portions of
ow country during the whole winter, and not unfrequently suffer
immensely from the intense cold and deep snows; still, at that
period of the autumn known as the ‘‘running season,” large
numbers abandon their former haunts, and, continuing along the
borders of our rivers, take up their abode for a time in the
lowlands, hundreds of miles, perhaps, from their breeding-places.
Of this peculiarity we shall, however, speak more fully hereafter,
under a separate head. In the northern sections of our country,
the ground is frequently covered for weeks with snow; and, all
access to food being thus cut off, these poor birds, driven by stern
* Tn such situations, it is not unusual to find numbers taking to the trees when
frequently disturbed.
THE PARTRIDGE. 69
necessity, often become quite tame, visiting the barnyards, and
even mixing with the poultry, to gain a scanty subsistence, which
not unfrequently preserves them from actual starvation.
Besides thus falling victims to the inclemency of the weather,
large numbers are now destroyed, not only by the gun, but by the
aid of traps, nets, and other ingenious contrivances; and we have
seen, in former times, the Philadelphia markets, and the villages
of the interior, fairly overstocked with live birds, taken in various
ways by the farmer-boys.
When this is the case, it behooves every sport&man living in the
country, or residing in the city, to purchase all birds thus offered
for sale, and keep them till the breaking-up of the winter, when
they may be let loose upon a friend’s estate, or turned out into
some neighborhood where he is in the habit of shooting, and
where, from the nature of the country, they will be apt to remain
during the breeding season. By pursuing this course, the pro-
vident sportsman will be richly repaid for all his trouble and
humanity, at the coming shooting season, by the number of birds
that will thus be produced in some favorite shooting locality, as
the fecundity of the partridge is extraordimary, and the coveys
raised from a few couples of old birds, in a favorable season, will
be sufficient to afford sport for several days’ moderate shooting.
PERIOD OF PAIRING.
Partridges commence pairing in the month of March, early or
late, according to the state of the weather; and, even after sepa-
rating for the purposes of procreation, it is not unusual for them
to reassemble in coveys as before, provided the weather should
again become stormy and cold, as is often the case in our change-
able climate. There is no doubt but there are more male birds
hatched than females; and this rather singular circumstance gives
rise to fierce battles between the cock birds for the possession of
the hens at the coupling season; and to such extent are these
encounters carried that they sometimes result in the death of one
or both of the rival combatants. This fact is so well established
70 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in the English variety, that it is no uncommon thing for the
owners of some choice preserves to have the partridges on their
manors netted, soon after the pairing season, and to destroy the
surplus males, or old bachelors, as they are facetiously termed.
This precaution prevents those strifes, and at the same time in-
sures a larger produce of young birds; for, if the female be pur-
sued by several cocks during the period of incubation, she has no
opportunity to form a nest, but drops her eggs about in various
places, no two, perhaps, together. Partridges generally complete
their nests in five or six weeks after pairing. <A small tuft of
grass, sheltered by a bush or a tree, the corner of a worm fence,
or the foot of an old stump, are the spots usually selected for the
building of their nests, which are composed of leaves, dry grass,
and a few feathers plucked from her own person. ‘The little
habitation is rudely but often ingeniously constructed; and, being
so nicely concealed from observation, it not unfrequently bids
defiance to the searching glances of the most inquisitive eye, as
well as affording ample protection on every side from the incle-
mency of the weather. The eggs are white, and average from
fifteen to twenty in number, and, in some rare instances, greatly
exceed that quantity. If the birds be in their prime, and the
season very favorable, it is not improbable that the hen may
deposit twenty-five or even thirty eggs; but such cases are anoma-
lies; and we should be more disposed to attribute the unusual
increase of eggs to an occasional propensity that some birds have
of laying in each other’s nests. Mr. Daniel, speaking of the
amazing fecundity of the English partridge, which is closely allied
to our species, states that a nest was discovered with thirty-three
eggs in it, another with twenty-eight, and another with thirty-
three. The greatest number we have ever seen in the nest of the
American bird is twenty-four; but we have often been told by
farm hands that twenty-five is no unusual number. For the truth
of these vague assertions we cannot, however, vouch. The period
of incubation is about twenty-one days. Some contend for a lenger
period; but we believe the former statement the more cor :ect,
THE PARTRIDGE. val
although, in proof of the latter assertion, it has been argued that
it requires four weeks to hatch the eggs when placed under a
common hen. This, however, proves nothing, as the disparity in
the time may be accounted for by the circumstance of the par-
tridge setting much closer than the domestic fowl, and, conse-
quently, generating a larger amount, if not a higher degree, of
animal heat.
The hen bird during the period of incubation becomes quite
poor, and undergoes the process of a partial moult, which provides
a few downy feathers to assist in keeping the eggs warm during
her absence from the nest in quest of food. The young birds
are quite strong when they first burst from their narrow confines ;
and it is no very uncommon thing for them to be seen running
about with a portion of the shell adhering to their backs. While
the hen is setting, and even after the birds are hatched, her mate
may often be seen early in the mornings, or late in the afternoons,
perched on a fence-rail or low limb of a tree, whistling with all
diligence for a half hour at a time, as if to cheer the female in
her arduous and solitary duties. Partridges are strictly mono-
gamous; and it is supposed by some that the cock assists the hen
in covering the nest; and we incline to the opinion that these
birds, in common with many others, do share the cares of hatch-
ing the little brood.
If the weather remains dry and mild after hatching, the young
birds will be able to fly in the course of three or four weeks; if,
on the other hand, the season should be backward and inclement,
the tender little brood gains strength but slowly, and great numbers
consequently will fall victims to the damp and cold while being
led about in search of food.
LEAVING THE NEST.
As soon as the anxious mother abandons the nest, attended by
her nimble little progeny, she is joined by the cock partridge, who
gives all his attention to the searching for food and protecting
the active little brood from any danger that may beset them. At
ie, LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the first alarm, the young birds instinctively skulk in the deep
grass and remain perfectly motionless, while the old ones resort to
every artifice within their power to ward off the impending danger.
It is interesting to observe the earnest solicitude with which
both the parents watch over their young, and the wonderful
instinct they exhibit in guarding them when surprised by the
huntsman before they are sufficiently fledged to fly off. The old
birds take to the wing, and the young ones run with all speed into
the nearest thicket, or conceal themslves in the brushwood, or long
grass that abounds at this season on their feeding-grounds. The
hen, after flying a few hundred yards, alights, and returns by a
circuitous route to the place she just abandoned; and, calling
in subdued tones, she soon collects around her the scattered pro-
geny, and quickly leads them off from the scene of danger. The
cock partridge at the same time is using every effort to distract
the attention of the intruder by flying or rather tumbling con-
fusedly before him, running along the ground, hanging his wings,
fluttering as if badly wounded and unable to escape his every
grasp. By such like artifices, the male bird strives to delude the
eager observer, and deceive, perchance, his no less anxious dog;
for, leading them both away, step by step, from the young covey,
sufficient time is gained for the female to perform her important
task. When the danger is passed, the hen bird, by her joyful call,
directs the mate to her retreat.
It is not only in devices of this kind that partridges display
a strong and lively affection for their young, but where there ap-
pears a probability of success they will not hesitate to attack any
enemy that assails them; and it is no uncommon thing for the old
ones to be seen flying up at hawks, or other birds of prey, scream-
ing and fighting with all vigor to defend their helpless offspring.
Several years ago we witnessed a desperate battle between a cock
partridge and a black snake, which rather singular combat would,
however, have soon proved fatal to the former if we had not so
opportunely come to his rescue, as the serpent had already caught —
the exhausted bird by the wing; and so deadly was the grasp that
THE PARTRIDGE. Te
he even held on to his affrighted but nevertheless courageous vic-
tim after we had broken his back with a blow from a large stick.
On searching around in the- grass, we discovered two very young
partridges, somewhat mutilated, and nearly dead; both of which,
no doubt, had been seized by his snakeship as a dainty meal, which
he was not, however, permitted to enjoy, owing to the bold attack
of the parent bird.
Such encounters between birds and serpents, we are convinced,
are not uncommon, but of daily occurrence, as few of us at all
familiar with country life but have witnessed like incidents in our
rambles over the fields. We also believe that similar conflicts be-
tween the parent birds and these ruthless desecrators of their nests
have given rise to the popular fallacy that snakes possess the
power of charming birds, or, in other words, transfixing or draw-
ing them within their reach by the use of certain mesmeric manipu-
lations of their tongue and eyes. We give no credit whatever to
this boasted power of fascination on the part of snakes, but regard
it as one of those vulgar errors which spring up inthe minds of the
ignorant, from their inability to explain or investigate many of the
everyday phenomena of nature.
Dr. 8. Gilman, the author of a very interesting article on the
Venom of Serpents, published in the St. Louis Medical Journal, is
a firm believer in the occult power possessed by serpents of fasci-
nating small animals, and hints at the probability of the king-snake.
exercising some power besides mere physical force by which he
overcomes, even when fangless, the most venomous of his fellow-
reptiles.
Dr. Gilman states that he succeeded in making seven venomous
serpents fraternize and dwell amicably in one den. A beautiful
pair of long-bodied king-snakes, known to be fangless, and conse-
quently without venom, were duly installed as members of the
family. The older members manifested some uneasiness, but made
no attempt to destroy the intruders; and the next morning four
of the venomous serpents were found dead, and a fifth was gasping
in the suffocating coils of the king-snakes. The two others re-
ee LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
mained stupid and apparently indifferent to their fate, and could
not be made to offer the slightest resistance to their enemies. One
of the king-snakes was afterwards inoculated with the poison of a
rattlesnake which he had destroyed, and died immediately, thus
evincing that they must have exercised some power besides physical
force to overcome their fellow-reptiles.
M. Raspail explains the mystery of fascination, apparently very
much to his own satisfaction, by supposing the serpent to possess
the power of emitting two streams of a poisonous and stupefying
gas—one on each side of its mouth—which proceed to unite above
the head of the bird, producing asphyxia, &c. Kc.
DOMESTICATION.
The wild nature of the partridge renders its domestication almost
impossible, though in some instances, where the eggs have been
placed under the common hen, they have been hatched and reared
with as much success as if the progeny were of her own species.
The young brood, however, though perfectly familiar with all the
other occupants of the farmyard, and apparently reconciled to
their unnatural mode of life, still exhibited the wandering and
restless disposition of their race, and in most instances have flown
away to their native haunts at the pairing season of the following
year. The American partridge, in common with those of other
countries, cannot bear close confinement; they may appear for a
time to thrive, still, if too much restricted in their movements, in-
variably die. We unfortunately, during the last winter, lost seve-
ral fine birds that were presented to us by our friend G. D.
Wetherill, Esq., owing, we suppose, to the smallness of the cage
in which we had temporarily placed them.
TWO BROODS.
It is a common opinion among sportsmen that the partridge
produces two broods during each season. Whether this be true or
not, we are not prepared to say positively; but one thing is cer-
tain, that the hen is often discovered setting during July, in our
THE PARTRIDGE. 75
Middle States, and birds too small to be shot are constantly met
with in October, and even in November.
This circumstance may nevertheless be accounted for on other
grounds, as it is well known that the female, if disturbed during
the period of incubation, or the eggs be destroyed by some one of
her many enemies, will build another nest and commence setting
afresh. We do not doubt, however, that, independent of these
accidents, in a very favorable season the hen may be induced ocea-
sionally to raise two broods of young, more particularly in the
Southern States; but we are not inclined to believe the habit a
natural instinct of the bird, and rather attribute these instances to
causes such as above enumerated.
The period of warm weather in the Middle and Northern States
is rather too short to allow partridges generally to raise two broods
in a season; and, if they should succeed in hatching them, the
second brood, being small and delicate, and not sufficiently well
grown before the cool weather sets in, are unable to endure the
rigors of our boisterous winters, and consequently soon perish,
either from want of food or exposure. These are the birds which
are first caught in traps and sent to market.
FULL-GROWN.
The birds, being full-grown towards the close of September, will
be found associated in coveys from ten to twenty-five; and, in
portions of the country where food is plenty, much larger coveys
may be met with, perhaps two or three broods joining together in
perfect harmony. The call of the male bird during the season of
love, which is thought to resemble the notes produced by pro-
nouncing the words Ah Bob White in slow and measured time, is
now seldom heard except when the covey is flushed and separated 5
and then this plaintive call, in connection with the usual cry of
the species, will be recognised at occasional intervals, collecting
the terrified members of the family together again. The call of
the partridge is a clear whistle, composed of three notes; the first
clear, loud, and sonorous; the second less loud, and the third,
76 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
though louder than the second, not as loud as the first. These
call-notes are perfectly familiar to every sportsman, as they are
often resorted to, to decoy the poor birds from their lurking-places.
If the birds be young, they will soon reassemble or be decoyed by
the imitative whistle of the sportsman; if, however, they be old
and cunning, each one will remain perfectly quiet for a long time,
and not venture to call each other till towards the close of the day,
when all danger is removed. A low, twittering sound is frequently
heard issuing from a covey when terrified and about to spring
from before the dog; this sound somewhat resembles the chirping
of a brood of young chickens when nestling themselves under their
mother’s wings towards nightfall.
ROOSTING.
Partridges, when pursued, as before stated, generally take to
the woods and thickets for protection; but instinct and long habit,
on the other hand, have taught them that the open plain is a more
secure place for roosting during the night, and consequently they
almost invariably choose a little mound of rising ground in the
centre of a cleared or stubble-field for this purpose.
ey
perc
To afford greater security and prevent a surprise, we imagine,
partridges roost in a circle, with their heads all turned outwards,
and their tails joming each other in such a manner that they pre-
sent a guard on every side; and when thus disturbed the whole
covey are enabled to fly off in a direct course without interfering
with each other. If undisturbed, they are apt to resort to the
THE PARTRIDGE. fit
same spot for several successive nights. We have often observed
these birds arranged in this curious manner, and, when kept up
during winter in cages, they will be found to place themselves in
this position every might about roosting-time, or even when huddling
together during the day.
FOOD.
The partridge is granivorous, and, in the words of the old poet—
<¢Soon as the lab’ring horse, with swelling veins,
Hath safely housed the farmer’s doubtful gains,
To sweet repast the unwary partridge flies,
With joy amid the scattered harvest lies ;”
thus delighting in the open and cultivated districts, feeding upon
all and every species of grain, and thought to be particularly par-
tial to buckwheat. Some suppose that birds shot from the stubble
of this latter grain are superior in flavor to. any others. Mr.
Skinner, we find, is of this opinion; and we are also disposed to
agree with this accomplished sportsman, although we must acknow-
ledge that, in making the assertion, we may be arrogating to our-
selves too great a nicety in the gastronomic art; for the delicacy
of these birds is such that it is, perhaps, impossible to draw so
nice a distinction regarding their flavor, no matter where shot, in
the fore part of the season.
Partridges are very fond of Indian corn, and in a state of cap-
tivity we-have seen them eat it in preference to all other kinds of
grain save buckwheat. They are not, however, as often met with
in the cornfields during the shooting season as they are in the
wheat-stubbles; but this may be attributed, in a great measure, to
the want of sufficient cover in the former, rather than any greater
partiality for the latter. Small insects, ants, grasshoppers, &c.
are eagerly sought after by these birds; and in the midst of winter,
when the ground is entirely shrouded for many inches in depth
with snow, partridges as well as grouse are forced to eat the fruit,
leaves, and tender buds of the mountain laurel, (kalmia latifolia.)
78 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
This well-known evergreen flourishes in every section of our
country, being particularly abundant on the sides of hills and
mountains. There is also another variety, known as marsh laurel,
(kalmia glauca,) that inhabits the lowlands and possesses nearly
the same properties as the other species. Some animals partake
of these evergreens with impunity, while others are fatally poisoned
by the use of them. The partridge and grouse both eat of their
foliage and berries without any ill consequences to themselves; but
their flesh, it is said, has often been poisoned to such an extent
by long indulgence in this food, that death, in some rare instances,
has resulted from persons partaking of them while in this noxious
state.
Doctor Shoemaker published, some time back, an account of
two cases of poisoning arising from the eating of a pheasant
whose craw was stuffed with laurel-leaves when shot. The most
prominent symptoms in these cases were intolerable nausea, partial
blindness, severe pain in the head, difficult breathing, feeble pulse,
&e. Great relief was obtained for these unfortunate patients by
the free exhibition of mustard and warm water, in quantities
sufficient to provoke vigorous vomiting.
OLD AND YOUNG BIRDS.
The bills of young birds are soft and brown, the legs yellowish
or bluish white; the old birds have hard black bills, and legs dark
and scaly. The young birds are somewhat smaller than the old
and full-grown ones of the previous season. In some sections of
country partridges seem to thrive and grow much larger than in
other parts. Those shot in the neighborhood of the Tapahannock
marshes, in the State of Delaware, are generally very heavy and
remarkably fine birds.
Geo. D. Wetherill, Esq.—a zealous and ardent sportsman, by-
the-by—informs us that he once shot, in the neighborhood of
Mount Holly, New Jersey, ten brace of birds that averaged eight
ounces each.
THE PARTRIDGE. 79
‘THEIR NUMBERS IN DIFFERENT LOCALITIES.
After a fayorable season, partridges are found in abundance
throughout the Southern, Middle, and Western States; and, if the
reports of those who have gunned in the West can be relied on,
their numbers in these latter territories must be enormous,—quite
beyond any idea we have of them in the Atlantic States. We
have never yet been so unfortunate as to meet with partridges, on
any of our shooting excursions, in such large bodies as necessarily
to destroy, by their superabundance, all zest for hunting them;
and we are rejoiced that there is only a comfortable scarcity in
these localities, at all events a scarcity sufficient to make us all
work hard and exercise a becoming skill in both hunting and
shooting our game, which excitement, by-the-by, constitutes the
chief pleasure attending the sports of the dog and gun.
The mere sallying out in a country overrun with birds, and
sauntering lazily about for a few hours, loading and firing with
little or no discrimination or exercise of skill in hunting up the
game, remind us very strongly of the battues in the overstocked
manors of the Old World, or perhaps the panlenes of a pigeon-
shooting in our own country.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND AMERICAN BIRD.
The American partridge differs from the English variety in
several particulars, although it greatly resembles it in habits and
disposition. It is smaller by one-third than the English; the
plumage is somewhat different, and the call entirely dissimilar; its
flesh, however, is equally white and delicate.
We received a couple of brace of English partridges, a few days
since, from a friend residing in the mother-country; they arrived in
good condition, and, we should think, were remarkably fine speci-
mens, as they weighed 1 1b. 13 oz. each brace. The wings struck us as
being singularly small and short for the size of the body. We invited
some of our sporting friends to be participators in this rather
novel and rare feast; and we believe that they were unanimous in
80 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
pronouncing them not superior, but rather inferior, to our native
bird in point of delicacy of flavor; and, furthermore, we all came
to the conclusion that we could knock them down, right and left,
like smoke, if we were once let loose in the overstocked preserves
of “‘merry old England.”
AMERICAN PARTRIDGE NOT A QUAIL.
It has been stated that the Perdix Virginianus is more closely
allied to the European quail than to the English partridge; but
such is not the fact, as the partridge of our country resembles the
quail in no one particular save in the habit of partial emigration
that it exhibits every autumn at the running season. The meat
of the European quail is dark, and oftentimes loaded with fat,
while that of the partridge is white, and invariably lean. This
alone is almost sufficient to establish the difference between the
two birds. Another circumstance still more striking in the habits
of these two birds, and better calculated to prove most conclusively
the difference between the two species, is the well-known fact that
our partridge is monogamous, while the quail is polygamous.
Although the American partridge may be termed a hardy bird, in
one sense of the word, the quail is still more so, as it depends
almost entirely on itself for support, even a few days after being
hatched; and, if kept among others of its own brood for a few
weeks, fights most obstinately, the battle frequently ending im the
death of one of the combatants. As early as four months old,
the young quails are sufficiently strong to accompany their parents
on their distant migratory flights. Quails seldom form themselves
into coveys. The cock bird being polygamous, and at the same
time very salacious, confines his attentions to no particular mate,
and consequently assists but little, if any, either in the construc-
tion of the nest or the care of the young brood. The quail is also
less prolific than the partridge. When quails migrate, they
assemble together in large numbers; but, as soon as they arrive
at their destination, they separate, each seeking his own food and
guarding his own safety; they travel invariably at night. How
THE PARTRIDGE. 81
widely different is all this from the habits of our bird! And still
further dissimilarity, no doubt, might be remarked if the subject
had been properly considered by those more conversant from
actual observation with the point of contention than we pretend
to be.
The quail may also be termed, in some respects, a nocturnal
bird, and in this particular also differs from the partridge. The
migrations of the quail, as before stated, are almost entirely per-
formed during the hours of darkness, and, by way of compen-
sating nature for this loss of repose during the hours allotted to
it, most generally sleeps in the middle of the day, which time is
always occupied by the partridge in scratching and pruning his
plumage. This being the case, we trust the American sportsman
hereafter will give our partridge its proper appellation and rank,
~ and no longer confound it with the quail, a bird far inferior
whether in the field or on the table.
Although the ancient Athenians eagerly sought after and even
reared quails for the purpose of employing them in combat with
each other, they were not esteemed as an article of food, but, on
the other hand, were erroneously considered unwholesome, from the
circumstance of their feeding on hellebore. This vulgar notion,
as many others of like character, is now entirely exploded.
RUNNING SHASON.
At the commencement of autumn, the partridges of America
abandon the high grounds, and resort, in immense numbers, to the
large river-courses, where they remain for a few weeks, and then
travel back to their former haunts. At this period the birds are
said to be running or travelling, and will not lie to a dog; and to
pursue them is lost time, as it will be found utterly impossible to
keep up with them, no matter with what speed you attempt it. In
the fall of 1845, we, in company with a brother sportsman, en-
countered an immense drove of these running birds in the neigh-
borhood of Elk River. When first discovered, they appeared to
be holding a conference as to the proposed route they should take,
6
82 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
or perhaps quarrelling with their leaders as to the propriety of
proceeding farther on, as they had all come to a stand in a se-
cluded little hollow on the borders of a pine forest, and were all
whistling and twittermg as fast and as loud as possible, insomuch
that we distinctly heard the general turmoil at a distance of seve-
ral hundred yards. Upon approaching to ascertain the cause of
this rather unusual noise, the whole company took to their heels
in double quick time, hundreds running up the opposite bank of
the hollow and disappearing in a few moments in the thick forest
of pines and underwood. We followed on after them for a short
time, but neither ourselves nor dogs were able to keep up with
their retreating ranks. This company of voyagers, we should
think, contained several hundred individuals, and was the largest
party we ever met with. These migrations of partridges to the
sea-coast and river-shores are performed almost exclusively cn
foot, as they seldom or never fly, except perchance to cross a small
rivulet which opposes a barrier to their onward progress. The
cause of these migrations is not satisfactorily explained by writers,
if, in fact, any have attempted the solution of this rather myste-
rious movement on the part of these birds. We do not know what
to attribute it to, and are even at a loss to venture an opinion. If
the birds did not commence running quite so early in the season,
we might be disposed to believe that a scarcity of food in their
previous haunts impelled them to wander in search of it in distant
localities, like others of the feathered race; but this can hardly
be the motive, as they are found on these excursions as early as
October, when the weather is not often sufficiently severe to shut
up the usual channels of food, but, on the contrary, is generally
such as is most congenial to the habits of the bird.
FLIGHT OF THE PARTRIDGE.
The partridge, when full-grown, is a very vigorous and powerful
bird, flying with great rapidity, and, like others of the gallina-
ceous order, when on the wing, makes a loud whirring noise, which
often not a little disconcerts the tyro, who, alarmed at the sudden
THE PARTRIDGE. 83
springing of a large covey, knows not where to turn or in what
direction to point his gun. This startling—but, to the ear of a
sportsman, agreeable—sound is produced by the shortness, con-
cavity, and rapid motion of the wings, as they fly by a succession
of quick flaps, and then sail till nearing the ground, when they
break their fall by a few more flaps. When partridges rise on
wing of their own free will, the whole covey takes the same
course; when disturbed, they all seek safety by separating.
When compared with the weight of the body, there are few, if
any, game-birds, in any portion of the globe, that fly with the
same rapidity or force, and consequently require such quick action
on the part of the sportsman, as the partridge of America. They
spring suddenly, and dart off with a celerity and regularity of
purpose that appears almost impossible for any bird to possess,
pursuing a rapid and headlong flight through the mazes of our
thickest forests and impenetrable coverts; and we hardly suppose
that any of our brother sportsmen ever saw one of these birds
either entangled or otherwise impeded in its progress through the
rank and poisonous vines that so often intercept the flight of other
less strong and clear-sighted birds. The American bird flies with
much more vehemence, and to much greater distances, than the
English variety. It is no uncommon thing for sportsmen to see
whole coveys, when wild from frequent flushing, take wing and fly
entirely out of sight over the highest of our forest-trees. The
English bird is stationary, and has neither the inclination nor
strength sufficient for migrating from one portion of the country
to another, hundreds of miles apart. The English bird is longer
lived than the American. The average duration of life in the
former is said to be seven to ten years; in the latter, three to five.
CHANGE OF PLUMAGE.
A few partridges, owing to some inexplicable freak of nature,
change their plumage to a pure or mottled white. Many of such
singular-looking birds have been shot in England. Mr. Daniel
states that there was a covey of seven partridges netted at South
84 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Cave, four of which were of a most beautiful clear white color,
three were pied, and that they were preserved alive for a long time
as great curiosities. We have heard of several being shot in the
State of Delaware, one of which remarkable birds is mounted and
in the possession of the author. It is not purely white, but pied,
and differs in no other respect from the common partridge. There
is also another handsome specimen in the possession of David
Gratz, Esq., which most of our shooting friends, no doubt, have
seen. There is also a very handsome specimen in the Academy
of Natural Sciences.
There are several specimens of these singular birds in the
English Museum; and Buffon states that ten or twelve partridges,
entirely white, have been seen at once among others of the usual
plumage, and that they had the pupils of the eyes red, as common
to the white hare, rat, ferret, &c.
What this alteration in the plumage of birds is to be attributed
to we are at a loss to discern, as it has occurred in climates that
could not be suspected of exercising any influence towards this
change. Such anomalies, however, are not so very rare in the
feathered race as we should at first be led to suppose; for it is no
very uncommon circumstance to hear of crows, as well as black-
birds, having changed their lustrous jetty plumage for one of
snowy white. We have also seen a white snipe, and a yellow reed-
bird, both of which will be spoken of under their proper head.
Since the publication of the first edition of our book, we have
received at the hands of our friend, the late Mr. H. H. Stockton,
who, by-the-by, was a most zealous and experienced sportsman, a
remarkable, and, no doubt, perfectly unique, specimen of the Ame-
rican partridge. The plumage of this rara avis in terra is totally
different fromany thing that we have yet seen or heard of. Inde-
pendent of the color of the plumage, the bird has every charac-
teristic of the Perdix Virginianus, and, no doubt, is a veritable
partridge, without any admixture of foreign blood, as some of our
sporting friends would have us infer. If this bird had not been
shot in the section of country where it was, and in company with
THE PARTRIDGE. 85
other ordinary partridges, we might, perhaps, very naturally have
supposed it to belong to another variety; but, all the circum-
stances taken into consideration, we must regard it only as one of
those dusts nature that we occasionally meet with in every branch
of animated creation.
In the specimen before us, the bill is black; line over the eye
and down the back jet-black, with an occasional grayish-white
spot; whole chin ashy-white, mottled with black, extending slightly
over the throat, which is jetty, interspersed with a few reddish-
brown spots; upper part of the breast exhibits a few pure white
feathers; the lower portion dark-cinnamon or red-brown, fringed
with black; sides of the neck reddish-brown; in fact, the balance
of the plumage, save the admixture of black and cineritious tints,
may be set down as reddish-brown, or rather dark-cinnamon color ;
legs of same hue; the irides hazel. .
This very peculiar bird was killed in Pennsylvania, a short dis-
tance from Philadelphia; and, what is somewhat remarkable, there
were others of similar plumage in the covey from which this one
was secured. We went in quest of these birds with Mr. Stockton,
on a subsequent occasion, but were unsuccessful in our search.*
THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING THE NATURAL HISTORY OF GAME-
BIRDS.
We have already devoted much space—perhaps too much—to the
natural history, habits, and peculiarities of the partridge, but, we
trust, not without benefit to our readers, as no one can expect to
become an accomplished sportsman without studying very closely
the individual characteristics of every species of game that he pur-
* This remarkable bird is perhaps more worthy of being represented perched
upon a tree, than the white one referred to by an English author, who states that
one of this character, being shot, was sent to a Mr. Pugh, a good artist, but no
sportsman, who, to make the delineation, as he thought, the more effective, first
painted a large oak, and then very artistically placed the white partridge on one
of the branches. When told that these birds always sat on the ground, he naively
replied, “‘That might be; but it looked so much the more picturesque to have a
landscape in the background that he would not alter it; for an extraordinary bird
ought to have an extraordinary situation: it exalted him above his fellows.”
86 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
sues. For it is by this knowledge, either gained through great
labor in the field, or acquired from the writings and associations
of those who have devoted the leisure of years to this healthful
recreation, that one shooter is seen to excel another in the style
of hunting and bagging his game.
Many individuals, from a lack of personal observation on their
part or the want of a suitable preceptor to instruct them in the
field, will continue to hunt a lifetime in an awkward or hap-hazard
way, without ever bringing into requisition any of those many
little manoeuvres and field-stratagems so familiar to the crafty old
sportsman, and which he oftentimes selfishly endeavors to conceal
from the knowledge of the rising generation of shooters, fearing
lest his teaching might raise up around him too many youthful
aspirants, ever ready to pluck from his brow the hard-earned
laurels of a long apprenticeship to the tricks of the field. If any
of our readers, however, should only aspire to the office of pot-
hunter, we would advise him to put this book aside, as we can
assure him that he will not be interested in many of its details,
except, perhaps, those portions of it devoted to the trapping and
netting of game, or the different methods to be pursued by the |
shooter when anxious, from some particular circumstance, to make
a large count. But, even then, a mind such as this selfish cha-
racter possesses is often too obtuse to understand or practise the
principles laid down for the guidance of a gentleman sportsman.
Of all the disagreeable characters that a well-bred sportsman is
likely to be thrown in contact with, that of a pot-hunter is the
most disgusting, the most selfish, the most unmanly, the most
heartless; a being who alone can pride himself in a ruthless desire
to destroy, and, as it were, to lay waste, all animated nature, by
every and any means within his grasp, without regard to etiquette,
- humanity, law, or even the common decencies of life. Such are
the real feelings of a pot-hunter, in the true sense of the word;
and his boasted motto, Full the bag, and damn the means, should
be chalked upon his craven back in well-defined characters, as a
warning to all young sportsmen to shun his company and detest
THE PARTRIDGE. 8&7
his vices. Perhaps our readers may think we have portrayed a
being so base, so low, as seldom or never to be met with, except
among those mercenary scamps who shoot for the markets. But
rest assured, my gentle friends, that the picture is not overdrawn,
for there are dozens of just such fellows in every shooting commu-
nity; and perhaps we can even find some such among our own
sporting acquaintances, who hesitate at nothing to fill their bags,
in season or out of season, and, in reality, practise in secret the
open and avowed motto of the professed pot-hunter. We have
met with such characters, and doubt not but our sporting friends
have done the same, and perhaps been alike distressed and morti-
fied at their behavior in the field. When caught, however, with
such would-be sportsmen, we have but one course to pursue—re-
sign the field for the day, or take our dogs and quietly put off in
another direction to pursue our sports solitary and alone.
FURTHER HINTS.
We shall now enter upon some particulars more familiar to the
practical sportsman, and in which he will take especial interest,
and no doubt feel competent to compare our observations with
the results of his own experience, and thus be able to judge of the
truth and importance of our information, not only to himself, but
88 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
to the young tyro. In compiling this work, it is our earnest de-
sire to bring the young sportsman forward so rapidly in all that
relates to the crafts of the field, that, with a little industry and
ordinary attention, he may, in the second season of his debit,
- possess the same skill in hunting and bagging game as it would
have required five or six years of regular apprenticeship for him
to arrive at.
As before stated, partridges are formed into coveys, and are
sufficiently large to shoot, in the month of October, which is the
time appointed by legislative enactments for the killing of this
game in several of the States; New Jersey, however,—having in
view the preservation of the second brood, we suppose,—prolongs
this period to the following month. But few partridges are taken
at this early season in traps, owing to the great abundance of
grain, seed, and insects to be found in the stubble-fields and clover-
patches; nevertheless, incalculable numbers of running birds now
fall victims to the nets set by farmer-boys and the negroes of the
adjoining States. A gentleman residing on the Chesapeake Bay,
a short distance from Havre de Grace, informed us, not long since,
that his immediate neighbor caught in this way, during one season,
on his own estate, no less than nine hundred partridges, which he
kept in coops, and gave out to his negroes as ordinary food during
the running season, besides supplying his friends in the city with
considerable numbers. This account may seem incredible to those
not familiar with the fecundity of partridges, and still less ac-
quainted with the immense armies of these birds that congregate
together during their migratory trips, and the regularity and perti-
nacity with which they pursue their course, sometimes passing
through the heart of villages that obstruct their way. The estate
upon which this large number of birds were captured is peculiarly
well situated for intercepting the progress of these voyagers, it be-
ing a neck of low land, bounded on one side by the bay and on the
other by a wide stream of water, thus forming a kind of peninsula,
encompassed by high lands, upon which the birds congregate for
the purposes of incubation, and which they abandon again for the
f THE PARTRIDGE. ERO
river-courses early in the autumn. We do not doubt that, with
properly-devised instruments, much larger numbers might have
been taken during the same season at this spot, as the birds were
very abundant indeed, and the materials used in their capture were
of the simplest and roughest character, and very little or no atten-
tion given to their skilful adjustment by the parties setting them.
We need not, however, make any further comments as to the pro-
bability of this number being captured in one season, when it is
well known that the quails of the Old World (not more prolific
than the American partridge) assemble in such innumerable bodies,
at the same period of emigration, that one hundred thousand have
been taken in one day, within the space of four or five miles, along
the western coast of the kingdom of Naples. About the time of
their first appearance at Alexandria, after crossing the Mediterra-
nean, such multitudes are exposed for sale in the markets that
three or four may be bought for a medina,—a piece of money less
than two cents in value. Whether there be such numbers of quails
in these parts at present we are not able to say; but a few years
back such was the case; and a writer informs us,—‘“‘ That so com-
pletely surfeited with this game have the crews of merchant-vessels
become, that they were forced, in some instances, to prefer com-
plaints against their captains, at the consul’s office, for the pur-
pose of obtaining other kinds of food; or, in other words, for a
return to their salt junk and bean-soup.’’*
The nets commonly used by our country-people are very simple
in their construction, often nothing more than an old fish-net
rudely fixed up for the purpose and set about in different parts
of the plantation where the birds are most apt to pass; sometimes
a trail of grain leading to it conducts the unsuspecting birds into
captivity before they are aware of their proximity to danger.
* Since writing the above, we find, in the ‘‘ Spirit of the Times,” a letter from a
correspondent in Iowa Territory, stating that he netted, in one season, ten thou-
sand partridges, in the neighborhood of Burlington, a town of that country, the
truth of which we do not for a moment doubt, for it only confirms the reports that
we have before heard of the immense numbers of these birds in those localities.
90 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Nooses of horsehair are also attached to twigs of low bushes or
frames set up for the purpose, across the path most likely to be
traversed by these armies; and considerable numbers are taken in
this way.
Great numbers of partridges, as well as pheasants,—more pro-
perly speaking, ruffed grouse,—are taken, by the aid of horsehair
nooses, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, more particularly in the
district of country adjoining our city; and it is no unusual cir-
cumstance for sportsmen to come across long cords of several feet
in length, stretched from stake to stake, on the borders of some
favorite feeding-ground, hung with five, ten, fifteen, or twenty hair
nooses, and even many more, with corn, wheat, or other grain,
strewn about for the purpose of luring the poor victims into these
deceptive and fatal snares. The birds are most usually caught
around the neck, and thus strangled to death; but not unfre-
quently by the wing, and sometimes leg. Our dogs have often
come to a stand upon the poor victims thus entrapped, and we
never scruple to help ourselves to the spoils on such occasions.
As the winter progresses and food becomes scarce, the common
figure-of-4 trap, constructed of laths, corn-stalks, or other suitable
material, comes into requisition by every idle farm-hand and lazy
negro boy, and thus again large numbers of these birds are merci-
lessly destroyed. It is no uncommon thing to take covey after
covey, in these rude traps, during severe weather, without allowing
one single member of the family to escape; as these birds, more
than any others, are disposed to run in clutches, and are seen con-
stantly crossing and recrossing each other when feeding, and when
alarmed instinctively cluster together and follow blindly their
leader, no matter what course he adopts. As we cannot approve
of this wholesale slaughter of game, any more than we can justify
the robbing of their nests for the purpose of eating the eggs, as
is pursued to a considerable extent by the negroes in the slave-
holding States, and often with the full connivance of their masters,
we will not dwell longer upon the subject, or be more particular in
describing the method of making or setting these traps, which
THE PARTRIDGE. 91
already, unfortunately, is familiar to every one residing in the
country. We sincerely trust that every one perusing these pages
will discountenance, as far as lies in his power, the cruel practice
of eating the eggs of the partridge, and prevent the negroes or
others about his farm from desecrating the nests of these interest-
ing birds.
This season of 1855 and 1856 has been particularly destructive
to the feathered race. in consequence of the long-protracted and
intensely cold weather which has so generally prevailed throughout
our broad expanse of country. ‘This severe spell, coupled with the
deep, hard snow which has thrown its chillmg mantle over so wide
an extent of land, penetrating even far into the regions of the
sunny South, has driven all descriptions of game to great ex-
tremities in search of food.
The havoc and slaughter, not only by the mercenary and cruel,
but by the thoughtless and improvident, have, consequently, been
very great, both of birds and animals. Thousands of buffaloes,
deer, and hares, hundreds of wolves, panthers, and bears, as well
as myriads of partridges and hecatombs of grouse, have been slain
and trapped. The markets of all our principal cities have been
most bountifully supplied with every description of game—in fact,
filled to repletion with partridges and grouse; not, however, as
many suppose, with birds alone coming from the far, far West, but
by incredible numbers of half-starved victims snared in our own
and the neighboring States, or mercilessly shot down, whole coveys
at a ‘“‘blow,”’ as they sit huddled together on the treacherous snow,
stupefied and benumbed with the chilling blasts of the North.
At such times, when every vestige of herbage is entirely hidden
from view, and the scanty underbrush of the thickets afford but
little secrecy or protection to game of any kind, every thoughtless
and mercenary lounger in the country shoulders his rusty weapon
and wanders lazily forth to kill and destroy whatever of animated
nature may lucklessly cross his path.
What a shame! what a pity that we have no laws rigidly en-
forced to protect from such foul play not only the game-birds at
Sas LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
' this inclement season, but the whole race of insectivorous birds and
feathered songsters which enliven our brakes and forests with their
melodious strains during the spring and autumnal months!
If the snow which has now shrouded the country for several
weeks should continue much longer, we fear that the partridges
will be almost exterminated throughout the Northern and Hastern
States; as they are not only being trapped and shot down by
thousands, as above stated, but immense numbers are absolutely
stiffening and dying in consequence of the excessive cold and hun-
ger, even in districts as far south as the central portion of Vir-
ginia. But, what is even more shameful than the wholesale
destruction of game by mercenary individuals, and most repre-
hensible on the part of the city authorities, now, on the sixth day
of February, 1856, we, as well as scores of others, are cognizant
of partridges and grouse being publicly hawked about the streets
of Philadelphia, as well as clandestinely exposed for sale in the
cellars and at the stalls of game-hucksters, in direct violation of
both the municipal and State ordinances. All this illegal traffic
appears to be carried on without any special interference on the
part of the officers or clerks of the market; who, one and all,
strange to say, seem possessed of lynx-eyes in ferreting out a
pound of rancid butter which should perchance be under weight,
but are as blind as bats in full noonday on the subject of the
game-ordinances.
This illicit traffic we have noticed for several years past; but
this season, in particular, our attention has been called to it, from
the circumstance of those engaged in it having apparently thrown
off all efforts at concealment, and exposing their unlawful wares
with the most brazen effrontery, without let or hinderance. The
numerous eating-saloons and club-houses, also, of this vast city,
openly, without a shadow of disguise, serve up all kinds of game,
im season or out of season, just as it suits their purpose or pleasure,
without the slightest interference on the part of the constituted
authorities. But, what is still more to be reprobated, and what we
consider more scandalous than all these open infringements of the
THE PARTRIDGE. 93
laws by those who are tempted from mercenary considerations, we
haye seen the tables of many of our most worthy—but, at the same
time, most thoughtless, on this point at least—citizens fairly
groaning under the weight of partridges, as well as ruffed and
pinnated grouse, during the month of February,—a portion of the
— interdicted period for the sale of all these descriptions of game.*
As long, then, as such open transgressions of the law are per-
mitted by the authorities and such glaring derelictions of duty in-
dulged in by our otherwise best citizens, it were useless for us to
hope any thing on the score of humanity towards the preservation
of game by our thrifty farmers. For they, unfortunately, with
the rest of mankind, are deeply inoculated with the “auri sacra
fames’’ of the present day, and cannot withstand the temptation
of gain when so alluringly held out to them.
That section of the city ordinance to which we refer is as
follows :—
_ “That no person shall sell or expose to sale, within the city of
Philadelphia, any grouse, partridge, or pheasant, between the Ist
of February and the Ist of October, nor any woodcock between
the Ist of February and the Ist of July, under penalty of five
dollars and of forfeiting the articles so sold or exposed for sale.”
The act of Assembly is of similar import, and prohibits the kill-
ing of these birds within the prescribed periods, under a penalty
of ten dollars for each infringement of the law.
Analogous legislative enactments are in existence in the adjoin-
ing States of Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland, but, we fear,
are quite as nugatory in their action as those of Pennsylvania.
Now, in conclusion of this subject, we sincerely trust that all
sportsmen and others interested in the preservation of this charm-
ing bird, which enlivens the spring and summer months by his
* By the game-laws of Illinois and others of the Western States, every person is
liable to a fine of fifteen dollars who shall kill, ensnare, or trap any deer, fawn,
wild turkey, grouse, prairie-chickens, or partridges, between the 15th of January
and the lst of August. How then can the authorities in Philadelphia permit, or
our citizens countenance, the sale of such game, coming, as it does, from these
States during this period of prohibition ?
94. LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN
plaintive but most musical whistle, will discourage, as far as is in his
power, the shooting or trapping of them during the next season
at least,—we mean the season of 1856 and 1857. Nota bird
should be killed, under any pretext, in our own or the neighboring |
States, durmg the next twelve months, as their numbers have been
so thinned the past winter that it will require one or two seasons
of undisturbed quiet, coupled with their prolific powers of procrea-
tion, to replenish their now almost exterminated ranks.
DRIVING PARTRIDGES.
Another mode of catching partridges, not less fatal to their pro-
pagation, if pursued by thoughtless individuals, is much practised
‘by the residents of Virginia, North Carolina, and other Southern
and Western States, where these birds are very abundant. Tt is
called driving, or netting. This method is so minutely and cor-
rectly described by Audubon, in his valuable work on Ornithology,
that we will quote his own words on the subject :—
““A number of persons on horseback, provided with a net, set
out in search of partridges, riding along the fences or thickets
which the birds are known to frequent. One or two of the party
whistle in imitation of the call-note, and, as partridges are plentiful,
the call is soon answered by a covey, when the sportsmen imme-
diately proceed to ascertain their position and number, seldom con-
sidering it worth while to set the net where there are only a few
birds. They approach in a careless manner, talking and laughing,
as if merely passing by. When the birds are discovered, one of
the party gallops in a circuitous manner, gets in advance of the
rest by a hundred yards or more, according to the situation of the
birds and their disposition to run, while the rest of the sportsmen
THE PARTRIDGE. 95
move about on their horses, talking to each other, but at the same
time watching every motion of the covey. The person in advance,
being provided with the net, dismounts, and at once falls to
placing it so that his companions can easily drive the partridges into
it. No sooner is the machine ready than the net-bearer remounts
and rejoins the party. The sportsmen now separate to a short
distance, and follow the partridges, talking and whistling, clapping
the hands, or knocking the fence-rails. The birds move with great
gentleness, following each other, and are kept in the right direc-
tion by the sportsmen. The leading bird approaches and enters
the mouth of the net; the others follow in succession, when the
net-bearer leaps from his horse, runs up and secures the entrance,
and soon despatches the birds. In this manner fifteen or twenty
partridges are caught at one driving, and sometimes many hun-
dreds in the course of a day. Most netters give liberty to one
pair out of each covey, that the breed may be continued. The
success of driving depends much on the state of the weather.
Drizzling rain or melting snow is the best; for in such weather
partridges, and gallinaceous birds in general, run to a great dis-
tance rather than fly; whereas, if the weather be dry and clear,
they generally take to the wing the moment they discover an in-
truder, or squat so that they cannot be driven without very par-
ticular care. Again, when the coveys are found in the woods,
they run off so briskly and so far that it is difficult for the net-
bearer to place his machine in time.
“The net is cylindrical, thirty or forty feet in length by about
two in diameter, excepting at the mouth or entrance, where it is
rather larger, and at the extremity, where it assumes the form of
a bag. It is kept open by means of small wooden hoops, at a
distance of two or three feet from each other. The mouth is
furnished with a semicircular hoop sharpened at both ends, which
are driven into the ground, thus affording an easy entrance to the
birds. ‘Two pieces of netting, called wings, of the same length as
the cylindrical one, are placed one on each side of the mouth, so
as to form an obtuse angle with each other, and are supported by
96 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
sticks thrust into the ground, the wings having the appearance of
two low fences leading to a gate. The whole is made of light and
strong materials.”’
This account coincides exactly with the description given us of
this sport by several gentlemen residing in the South. Care should
be taken, however, to liberate a pair or so of birds from each
covey, so as to insure a continuation of that abundance which
furnishes such a profuse and epicurean delicacy for the table.
INTRODUCTION INTO ENGLAND.
Frequent attempts have been made to introduce the American
partridge into England; but these efforts have, we believe, gene-
rally proved abortive, from the circumstance of our birds being so
very pugnacious that they destroyed or drove off the English
variety, which is a much larger bird, and considered finer eating
in that country ;—chacun @ son gott.
ACTIONS OF OLD AND YOUNG BIRDS.
There is a great difference between the actions of old birds and
a covey of young ones. The former are up to all kinds of tricks,
while the latter soon become confused and unable to avail them-
selves of any manceuvring whatever to save themselves from the
persecutions of the dog and sportsman. The young birds, if not
THE PARTRIDGE. 97
made wild by previous hunting, lie well to the dogs and make but
short flights, and are consequently soon come up with again, and,
being scattered about in close proximity, can be picked off one by
one, without much trouble to the shooter. The old birds, on the
other hand, when hunted, often lie badly, are extremely cautious,
and run away from before the dog as soon as they observe his
approach; and when they spring they take immediately to the
thick cripples or disappear over the tops of the highest woods.
An old bird, when shot, will often carry off several pellets of lead
with him, if not struck in some vital part, and even with a broken
wing will frequently escape the pursuit of both huntsman and dog.
BEST TO BREAK DOGS ON.
The partridge, most unquestionably, is the finest bird we have
to break our dogs on; and, being once broken to this kind of shoot-
ing, they can soon be taught to seek for any other kind of game,
such as woodcocks, snipes, or grouse. In hunting these birds, the
dog learns a degree of boldness as well as care that cannot be
acquired on any other kind of game, as none feed so widely, or
leave so long a trail of scent behind them, which the dog winds a
considerable distance off, and thus learns caution, ease, and deli-
cacy in approaching his victims, knowing full well, from sad ex-
perience, the chastisement that would follow any heedlessness or
undue precipitation on his part; but rather
‘‘ Against the wind he takes his prudent way,
While the strong gale directs him to the prey;
Now the warm scent assures the covey near:
He treads with caution, and he points with fear.”
Gay: Rural Sports.
COVEYS THAT WILL NOT LIE.
Tt is seldom attended with much success to follow after coveys
that will not lie close, but are continually rising and flying straight
away at the least alarm. Such birds are sure to be either a travel-
ling party, or they have already been shot at a great deal too much
to afford any sport. The only likely way of getting a shot at
7
98 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
them would be to circle entirely around them, and then the chances
are much against your being able to close on them before they
again take wing.
RETAINING SCENT.
It has frequently been observed by every sportsman that the
very best of dogs, at times, cannot find partridges, even when
marked down in the most open ground and are known to be
secreted immediately around the spot where the dogs are put to
hunt. This fact has been a mystery for years to some sportsmen,
and many a valuable dog has been grossly and unjustly censured
for his want of nose in not finding the birds under these circum-
stances. This seeming deficiency, however, in the olfactory
organs of our canine favorite, is now easily accounted for by the
presumed existence of a singular provision of nature, which en-
dows the American partridge with the extraordinary faculty of
withholding, for a time, the emanation from its body of that pecu-
liarly strong odor that betrays its proximity to the dog. This
phenomenon was very particularly inquired into, some years since,
by Dr. Smith, of Baltimore; and the results of his inquiries were
published, at that time, in the form of a letter to Mr. Skinner,
which interesting communication we take pleasure in bringing
again to the notice of sportsmen by its insertion in these pages.
We are constrained to do this from the conviction that nothing has
been written, since its publication, that further elucidates this
subject; and, if we were to attempt to give our own views and
observations upon the phenomenon, it could not be done in a more
practical and satisfactory manner than Dr. Smith has accomplished
it; and we therefore give place to its insertion with all pleasure :—
Mr. Epitor:—A close scrutiny of every subject in natural his-
tory discloses some marvellous power given to inferior creatures
for their preservation from the hostility of man and his various
and numerous agents. It is surprising how many striking facts
are forced upon us for contemplation before any doctrine is
THE PARTRIDGE. a)
thoroughly admitted as truth. How long, for instance, has it been
observed, and with regret, by sportsmen, that the best dogs could
not discover certain birds of value, such as partridges, in places
where they were seen to settle themselves! and yet years have
rolled away without a single individual advancing the only rational
idea of the proper cause. The truth never reached them that
these persecuted little creatures had been granted the power of
withholding odor, to preserve them from their ruthless destroyers.
Noble dogs have been censured as wanting or careless, when the
often-repeated fact, in almost every day’s hunt, made it manifest
that the fault did not lie with them. Many years ago I noticed
this fact, and after frequent and earnest observation I adopted
the conclusion already given.
I will state some of my observations and experiments. Precise
dates are of no consequence, as the facts are general, and open to
the study of all who are interested. It is now twenty years
since I was one day in company with my friend and companion,
the late learned ornithologist, Alexander Wilson, assisting him in
his endeavors after the birds of this country. We encountered a
well-appointed party of gentlemen, who were shooting partridges.
They had seven dogs, apparently of the best quality. They were
in a large stubble-field, having small patches of low bushes and
briers in several places. From one of these was flushed a very
large covey of partridges, which, after having been rigorously fired
upon, settled nearly in the centre of the field, in a place slightly
depressed, where the stubble was unusually high, with rank clover
underneath. The sportsmen pursued with due caution, giving the
proper instructions and ample time to the dogs. Some of the
birds were put up and killed, but not near as many as had taken
refuge there. After considerable search, the party left the ground.
Why so few of the birds were roused puzzled me exceedingly, and
I, in common with every one, censured the dogs. Immediately
adjacent to the stubble was a body of open woodland, in which
Mr. Wilson was several hours engaged in his usual ardent study
into the habits and manners of a number of small birds sporting
100 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in it. On our return home, we crossed the stubble directly past
the spot where the partridges had been hunted by the sportsmen.
As we approached it, a bird flew up, and soon after another, and
another, until five went off. I expressed my surprise to Mr. Wilson,
who dismissed the matter by supposing that the stronger scent
from the feet of so many men had transcended that of the birds
and bewildered the dogs. Having been an anxious witness to the
whole scene, I was not satisfied with this explanation, but believed
the dogs to have been in fault. After the lapse of a few years, I
became exceedingly given to field sports, and was in possession of
several fine dogs. It often happened that many dogs could not
find partridges, even when I had marked them settle and conducted
them to it, especially when the cover was of thick and matted
grass. In 1821, I obtained a pup of high pedigree, and took the
charge of his education upon myself. No animal of his kind ever
surpassed him, but even with him I was often unable to flush a
scared partridge. I now first admitted the idea that these birds
were endued with the occasional power of holding that effluvium
which exposed them to their direst enemy. My remarks were
general, but tended to strengthen the opinion I had adopted.
For instance, I excursed very many times with large parties,
where they might be said to be a pack of dogs from their numbers,
and most of them approved hunters. Often have I seen, in large
clearings, five or six coveys of partridges flushed, amounting pro-
bably to a hundred birds, and, although scarcely a brace of them
would leave the open grounds, not more than a fifth part of them
could be recovered. The sportsmen did not seem to think of their
failure, and no one would disparage the truth of the charming
Venuses, Junos, Dianas, and Coras, so sedulously engaged for his
amusement. After such a field, I have made it a practice to
return alone to it after the lapse of sufficient time, and I always
found that the birds had not left it, but that, having resumed
their natural or usual habits, were easily flushed. In October,
1824, I became assured of the truth of my doctrine. I was then,
in company with five gentlemen, in a fine partridge country. We
THE PARTRIDGE. 1b1
had eleven dogs (setters and pointers) of approved value. The
party concluded to range a field or two before breakfast; but I
did not go out with them. I soon heard rapid firmg in a new
cleared ground in sight of the tavern-house. I hurried to join
them. There was a small meadow-land and a little brook inter-
vening between us. On the margin of this meadow stood a large
pine stump, covered with running-dewberry vines, and surrounded
by small oak-shrubs. I was within sixty yards of it, and parallel
to it, when two partridges came directly towards me, across the
meadow. Having but one barrel charged, I fired upon the nearest
bird, and killed it. The other made a sudden dart from its line,
and took refuge among the shrubs and briers about the stump. I
had my favorite dog and a very valuable pointer-bitch with me.
Having recharged, I approached in guard upon the marked bird;
but the dogs gave no point. This was the proper time to test my
belief; I therefore called off the dogs, and waited till I could have
every one on the ground brought to the spot. ‘This was done; but
there was no intimation given that there was a bird near us. We
left the ground without remark or explanation, and retired to
breakfast. In an hour we took the field for the day. I requested
the gentlemen to indulge me again by an advance upon the stump,
leading the van myself with the pointer-bitch. She instantly
pointed, and the other dogs backed her. The bird was flushed and
shot. I now explained myself fully, and Mr. Edward Tilghman,
well known to most American sportsmen, was greatly struck with
it. He expressed great pleasure too at it, as he said it would save
many valuable animals from unmerited censure. He told me,
moreover, that he had more than once noticed the same fact with
pheasants and grouse. I think it highly probable that these birds
are endowed with the same power; but I have not had sufficient
experience to speak of them with any certainty. Last week, on
one of our steamboats, Colonel 8. B. Davis, formerly of the United
States army, a great sportsman in his day, asked me, without any
previous conversation on the subject, why the best dogs could not
sometimes find a single partridge in open ground. The fact was
102 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
forced upon him, but he had no thought of the solution here
advanced. Yours, respectfully,
SAMUEL B. Smiru, M.D.
Although this communication occupies some space in our work,
we are satisfied that every one will feel pleased with its perusal, as
it presents a plain unvarnished relation of facts that admit of no
doubting or misunderstanding. So far as our experience has
enabled us to judge of this matter, we are inclined to coincide with
Doctor Smith in his original notions on the subject; and we also
might enumerate many instances of like nature with those ad-
vanced by him, and as fully corroborative of what he wishes to
establish. But, having already devoted much space to the subject,
we must pass on to other less obscure points in the habits of this
bird.
ENEMIES OF THE PARTRIDGE.
Man is not the only enemy that partridges have to fear, as there
are several animals—such as the fox, raccoon, weasel, polecat, ser-
pent, hawk, crow, &¢.—that not only, when pressed for food in
the winter season, destroy the old birds, but also devour great
quantities of the young, and consume numberless eggs during the
period of incubation.
Among the foes of their own species there are none more
THE PARTRIDGE. 103
destructive than the sparrowhawk, pigeonhawk, and goshawk, who
follow after and destroy great numbers of them early in the autumn,
when they are comparatively weak and unwary and not sufficiently
alert to elude their grasp by rapid flight to the thick coverts. The
pigeon-hawk, being much larger and stronger than the former,
does not hesitate, on a favorable occasion, to dart down and
carry off the oldest and strongest birds. Nothing terrifies a covey
so much, when feeding in the open country, as the appearance of
this formidable marauder. Skimming along the tops of the stubble-
fields, so near to the ground as scarcely to be discovered, he comes
stealthily upon his unconscious victims, and fastens his deadly
talons in their very vitals, bearing them off screaming to the
nearest tree, to satisfy his cruel appetite. The covey, startled at
his approach, fly in every direction, secreting themselves in the
thickets of brushwood, deep grass, and almost impenetrable cripples.
When partridges have been frightened in this way, they take a
long time to collect together again, as they dare not give utter-
ance to a single note-call, while dreading the presence of their
relentless foe.
We have often come across birds disturbed by this fearless free-
booter, and found them extremely wild and shy, not permitting a
dog to come within a hundred yards of them. When the winter is
severe in the middle and northern latitudes, these hawks, more
particularly the goshawks, a larger species, are driven to great
extremities for food, as most of the small birds, their usual prey,
have left for more congenial climes; and then it is that the
formidable goshawk visits the barnyards in search of plunder, and
does not hesitate to carry off the largest chickens. It is no un-
common thing for shooters to see this daring depredator dip down
into a covey when within a few yards of his own person; and a gen-
tleman informs me that he has seen them pounce upon and carry
off partridges which were brought to the ground a few moments
before by the gun, and that, on a certain occasion, he actually shot
one when in the very act of making off with a bird which he had
seized the moment it was knocked down at a long shot.
104 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
The goshawk also destroys immense numbers of passenger-
pigeons, as well as the different varieties of ducks, such as mal-
lards, teal, black-duck, &c. Audubon mentions having seen this
hawk strike and carry off all these fowl, and we imagine that
almost every sportsman must be familiar with their extreme bold-
ness and daring. After seizing mallards, they turn them belly
upwards and eat the flesh off their breasts, disdaining all other less
tender and juicy parts of the body when food is so plentiful.
The sparrowhawk is also a most outrageous poacher upon all
kinds of birds, and, being extremely dainty in his taste and habits,
we doubt not that he also destroys numbers of young partridges,
if not the old ones. We have over and over again witnessed him
in the act of carrying off smaller birds.
Sportsmen should never fail to kill these birds of prey whenever
met with, as they answer no particular good purpose, and often
materially interfere with their recreations. It is no uncommon
thing for a hawk, in severe weather, to linger about the haunts of
a covey of birds for several days together, picking off one or two
whenever a suitable opportunity presents, until the whole covey
is destroyed.
PREDICTIONS REGARDING GAME.
An observant sportsman will, or rather should, be able to pre-
dict, with some degree of certainty, the probable abundance or
scarcity of game, according to the mildness or severity of the
previous winter, the dryness or wetness of the spring, and the
many other concomitant circumstances which influence the habits
of game-birds in different localities.
HAUNTS OF PARTRIDGES.
If the day be fine and clear, the birds will be found on the
wing at a very early hour; if, on the other hand, it be wet and
cold, they seem very loath to leave their roosting-places, delaying
their flights as long as possible, even until the day is far advanced.
And if rain should set in, they will most generally desert the
THE PARTRIDGE. 105
open fields entirely, and take to the woods and thickets for pro-
tection.
‘¢Or when the country floats with sudden rains,
Or driving mists deface the moistened plains,
In vain his toils the unskilful fowler tries,
While in thick woods the feeding partridge lies.”
If the weather has been dry and warm for several days previous
to going out, it will be perfect folly to hunt on the hills where
there is a scarcity of water. And, in like manner, if the season
has been wet, it will be equally irrational to wade through the
low grounds, as these birds neither affect very dry situations nor
wet localities, but, on the contrary, prefer rich stubble-fields in the
immediate vicinity of a clear running stream, to which they love
to resort to quench their thirst after the morning’s feeding, and
preen themselves for a while in the noonday sun. If the weather
be boisterous and windy, without rain, partridges may most fre-
quently be found on the edge of close cover, or on the sides of
rising ground, where they betake themselves for shelter. On such
days they will lie very badly, and will not suffer the approach of
a dog, although a quiet old pointer will occasionally get right on
top of a covey, owing to the wind carrying all noise off from
the birds, provided he hunts up wind, as all dogs should be taught
to do.
If, besides being stormy, a drizzling, drenching rain should set
in, we would advise the sportsman to withdraw at once from the
field, and wait patiently until the elements prove more propitious;
otherwise, he will not only run the risk of an attack of rheuma-
tism, but also of ill-humor, while his dogs will soon become jaded
and his game-bag continue empty. It is of no use to kick
against the pricks, neither is it of any avail to get out of temper
and make fight with the elements, as rain it will in spite of all our
scolding and bad-humor; and it will be much better to hold our-
selves perfectly resigned to the will of the Fates, and endeavor to
preserve our minds unruffled by conning over to some good and
patient listener the numerous wonderful achievements of our gun
and dog in former days. If, however, you are of a taciturn dispo-
106 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
sition, and take no delight in these interesting and often romantic
recitals, what shall we advise you to do to pass the time when,
perhaps, quartered away in some dreary, sequestered spot, out of
the reach of books, newspapers, or any thing else whereby to
satisfy an inquiring and active mind? Ah! we have it. Call for
the family Bible; for where can you find a household, in our favored
country, that does not possess one of these time-worn testimonials
of bygone days? ‘Turn to the register of births, deaths, and mar-
riages, and you will soon find yourself lost in deciphering the
hieroglyphics of these important family records, and perhaps thus
while away an hour or two in studying some long genealogical
table, gravely proving that the ancient founder of the American
Smith family first landed at Plymouth with the pilgrims from the
Old World, and afterwards emigrated to these parts, where he
built a log-cabin on the identical spot now covered by the house
you are in, and which still, even to this day, continues in the pos-
session of the lineal descendants of the said Smith family. What
a discovery! Before fully awakening from your surprise, the rain,
perhaps, will have ceased, the sun broken forth, and you can again
joyfully sally forth to the fields. If this, perchance, will not
engage your attention, draw a chair up to the hickory fire that
blazes and crackles at your feet, plant your broad back against
the chimney, look sullen, kick the dogs, and go to sleep as soon as
possible. Or, if it suits you better, walk up and down the room
for an hour at a time, making the whole house shake and tremble
with your heavy tread, scolding, and staring out of the windows
every few moments, to see if the lowering clouds are blowing
away, or to halloo after the hostler or farm-hands, whenever you
espy them about the premises, demanding their opinion as to the
state of the weather, which, nine times out of ten, will be very
cheering :—such, for example, as, ‘‘ Well, I can’t say, sair; it looks
pretty black out in this ’ere direction.” ‘Indeed, it’s very hard
to tell, sair; but it sometimes clears up when the wind shifts around
to that ’ere quarter;’’ pointing to the west, and the wind still
blowing a perfect gale from the east.
THE PARTRIDGE. 107
GOOD WHATHER.
In fair weather, partridges will be found out in the stubble, clo-
ver, or corn-fields, near to a hedge or some other cover. If a
buckwheat-patch be in the neighborhood, it must of course be
visited; for if there be any birds in those parts, they will most
likely be about this field in preference to all others. As we have
stated before, they are very partial to this kind of grain. Par-
tridges generally feed until eleven or twelve o'clock, and are then
either quiescent for an hour or two, or resort to some favorite
watering-place or gravelly bank, where they scratch and pick
themselves while basking in the sun. We have often found them,
at this time, on the sunny side of the trunk of a fallen tree, in a
fresh clearing, and always make it a point to hunt around all such
places, more particularly if a purling stream should be in the
vicinity.
HINTS FOR THE SPORTSMAN.
It behooves the shooter at this hour of the day to desist for a
while from his labors, and refresh himself as well as his dogs with
a little quiet and a small snack of something to eat and drink.
He need not be fearful of wasting time by this trifling suspension
of his sport, as both himself and dogs will hunt with more vigor
and energy after this truce, and the birds will have had time to
collect together their scattered forces, ready for another onset,
provided he should retrace his steps over the morning’s grounds. ©
Fresh birds will also have left their watering-places, and be busily
occupied in the stubble-fields feeding. A selfish disposition is to
be despised in any one; but when it occupies a largé space in the
heart of a sporting character, it is more frequently and disgust-
ingly displayed than in any other person: at least, such is our
opinion of the matter; and when a shooter has such a wild furor for
killing birds that he cannot remain quiet for half an hour during
this period of the day, or suffer his faithful dogs to snatch a few
moments of respite from their arduous duties, but, on the contrary,
168 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
considers such an intermission of his sport as an actual loss of
time, we are forced to class him with that unenviable race of beings
known as pot-hunters, or, at all events, but one degree above them,
and, of course, mean and narrow-minded in the extreme.
‘‘Some greedy elves—
Pot-hunters vile !—appear to grieve
If forced a single bird to leave.
Such men avoid, and be your pride
With those that soon are satisfied.”
‘N 14 c aie Sayin Dinpioae
EARLY DAWN.
Before leaving their roosts in the morning, partridges appear to
welcome the return of a new day, and to congratulate themselves
on the general safety of the family circle, by a low, shrill, twitter-
ing noise, somewhat resembling the sounds produced by young
turkeys, or perhaps more cheerful and harmonious than that often
heard issuing from a covey when in the act of springing, if dis-
turbed while feeding in an open field. These mutual greetings at
an end, the covey take their flight to some favorite feeding-ground,
most generally the adjoining field, or perhaps run off in quest of
food immediately around them; but they are not very apt to roost
in the same field where they habitually feed.
The reason why partridges seldom or never roost in the same
field where they feed is perhaps owing to a natural instinctive pre-
THE PARTRIDGE. 109
caution which they possess; that is, the dread they have of leaving
a trail behind them by which they could be traced or scented out
by some one of their numerous enemies durimg the night, and sud-
denly pounced upon either by the prowling fox, raccoon, polecat,
or any other nocturnal animal common to the districts of country
which they frequent. To prevent this trail being left behind them,
which would necessarily be the case if they ran to roost, they very
cunningly take a short flight to an adjoining field, and settle down
for the night immediately about the spot where they alight. By
this device they entirely free themselves of the treacherous trail
which otherwise would follow them to their unprotected retreat.
SNOW.
If it should snow, the birds keep close huddled together under
some brushwood, in the deep sedge, or in the corners of what are
called snake or worm-fences. They never go about during a snow-
storm, and consequently are often covered completely up by a deep
fall, and find great difficulty in freeing themselves from their cheer-
less prison when the tempest has abated. When the weather
threatens to be severe and the snow very deep, in the interior of
the Atlantic States, partridges betake themselves to the neighbor-
hood of the sea-shore, where it is usually milder, and the snow but
seldom lies over a day or two. There is also generally a great
abundance of thick sedge in such localities, in the depths of which
they find shelter and plenty of food. In the autumn of 1845 we
met with great numbers of partridges in the sedge on the sea-shore,
and witnessed some excellent shooting by a companion, a memo-
randum of which we published at the time in the Spzrit, and now
avail ourselves of this opportunity to transfer it to these pages.
PARTRIDGE SHOOTING IN DELAWARE.
Friday, Nov. 28—Fair, but blowing a gale; bagged............-----.:eeeeeeees 42
Saturday, Nov. 29—Good day, but over the same ground............--:sees+ 33
Tuesday, Dec. 2—Blowing a stiff breeze, and over the same ground, with
IAI, VENT Tio tceer elas sah ocean tuaee PRE cn ace Come DADEC Go ndes one Mee cmer enact 35
ANG Codeine ge gctictesapok oabardbcadsedic: auppclcebdocne tic aansee esa Eee 110
Or, within a fraction of 37 birds per diem.
~
110 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Nearly if not every bird was killed singly, as we were particu-
larly unfortunate im shooting into coveys, never having bagged over
two at any one time; but most generally we tipped the first two
that rose when flushed.
Since writing the above account for the Sprit, we have heard
of some shooting that far exceeded this cownt in the number of
the slain; but we doubt very much whether the shooting in itself
was beaten, for, taking the state of the weather, the quantity of
birds, and all other attendant circumstances, into consideration, we
think there are very few of our crack shots that could have done
as well, and many we are sure would not have accomplished as
much. The best shooting, however, or rather the dzggest shooting,
on partridges, that we have yet heard of, is that of three gentle-
men living in the neighborhood of Lynchburg, Virginia, who
bagged over one hundred partridges each during one day’s shoot-
ing. This season of 1851 and 1852, partridges have been un-
usually plenty, more particularly along the large watercourses,
owing to several circumstances, all of which an observant sports-
man will readily understand.*
Firstly. The previous winter having been remarkably mild and
open, few or no birds were destroyed by exposure to cold; neither
were they driven by the scarcity of food into the deceptive traps or
still more cruel tunnel-nets.
* Game ABUNDANT.—We learn from the Upper Mississippi country, that the
prairies in the vicinity of Keokuk and Rock Island are teeming with partridges
in unheard-of abundance. Large numbers are now brought from those places to
the New Orleans market. A few days since we noticed, on board of a steamboat,
coops containing one hundred and forty dozen of these birds. Also, the steamer
Saranak, on her last trip down, brought one hundred dozen. A gentleman informs
us, that a party with nets left Keokuk lately, and repaired to the island below that
town. They took four hundred birds in a single afternoon. Partridges sell in
this market at from 75 cents to $1 per dozen. In Keokuk they can be had at
from 40 to 50 cents per dozen.
The St. Louis Evening News also states that large quantities of grouse, par-
tridges, deer, and other game, are daily sent from that place, almost every steamer
carrying out as many as it can accommodate. They are shipped to various points
on the Ohio, and in many instances have been sent as far as Baltimore, Philadelphia,
and New York. So large has this export been this season, that these articles are
now commanding an unusually high rate at St. Louis.
THE PARTRIDGE. iil
Secondly. The following spring and summer months were un-
usually dry, and especially suited for the purposes of hatching
and rearing the young brood, which often suffer so lamentably from
the effects of a long-continued wet spell, as we have before re-
marked under a different heading.
Thirdly. The drought having extended through the summer
and even autumn months, all the smaller streams and inland water-
courses became entirely dry; and those sections of country thus
failing in water were abandoned en masse by all the birds; and
this will account for their location among the hills and stubble-
fields adjacent to the large river-courses. We met this season with
great numbers of partridges on the large and beautifully-cultivated
islands of the Susquehanna, but found it rather difficult to shoot
them, in consequence of the birds on the first alarm darting along
and under the high river-banks, where they conceal themselves so
securely that it is quite impossible to drive them out. Our friend
C. T. Phillips, Esq., killed this season sixty-one birds in one day,
which of itself is sufficient to prove how numerous they must have
been ;—not wishing, however, by this remark, to detract in the
least from our friend’s skill in shooting; for every one who has
been out with him in the field knows that he is one of the very
best shots that goes forth from our city; but in ordinary seasons
it is not very often that the most industrious and persevering
sportsman will get sixty-one shots in a day, much less bag so
many birds.
One of Mr. Skinner’s correspondents, detailing some of the
particulars of a day’s shooting, states that his companion fired
forty-three times, killed thirty-eight, and wounded four, only
missing clearly once; and, what is most remarkable of all, this
accomplished sportsman, with a double-barrelled flint gun, whirled
and fired five times with both barrels, in different directions, killed
nine times, and wounded the tenth. This we consider the best
record of shooting that has as yet come to our knowledge; and we
agree with the chronicler of these worthy deeds that it required
“a ready hand and a quick eye’ to accomplish it, when we recol-
142 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
lect, as before observed, that the American partridge, sans doute,
is the most difficult of all game-birds to be brought down. This,
too, is the opinion of Frank Forrester, and all others equally com-
petent to judge.
A friend of the author’s, a genuine sportsman, at our particular
request very kindly furnished us with a leaf from his shooting-
register for the year 1854, which exhibits the following results :—
Weer ro ee eee a ete ences ee ence meer es ete if
eee si i See Ohta re io a era al Ga alas 45
Waldiducks: 220. cu ewe RR eeu Nees 18
TRIWbaTEIO| MAH ORUSIESS ams Coeeneecdsda deopocuseoones BadeaE Il
IEE HHRE GIES) oodo. Iencnendocosagasabbdsnavccede ete Gores 53d
Ul Koya) Oe ete Ci ee arenes 652
All of the above were bagged within the limits of Pennsylvania
except the deer, which were killed in the State of New York
during one hunt, circumstances having prevented any other ex-
peditions.
Provided with one dog only, and in the same neighborhood—in
fact, almost over the same ground each day, this accomplished
sportsman brought to bag as follows:—
1854 PARTRIDGES. WOODCOCKS. HARES. HEAD.
October 16....... DSi Blais cana aoe Na rales SAE aR conaeeaonee 23
Gc eens ADWARE A Fes Deis Ai eae ae a 48
‘ LOCA DSR RAEN ENTRIES Jay Sabot Biase MRR 31
‘ Dens Gin etter See nea A IR yd oc an 31
6 Diet: AD ECU A eal NC ga uaa Antes ere AT
Mo tallies cvescuedsas LG Say Bet eae: SU anne EE 1 DAEya ites ee eae 180
THE FIELD.
‘See how the well-taught setter leads the way:
The scent grows warm. He stops; he springs the prey ;
The fluttering coveys from the stubble rise,
- And on swift wing divide the sounding skies.
The scattering lead pursues the certain sight ;
And death, in thunder, overtakes their flight.”
It is now quite time that we should proceed to the field, which
we will endeavor to do with all possible despatch, accompanied by
all the paraphernalia necessary for the legitimate and sportsmanlike
THE PARTRIDGE. 1138
way of bagging game, and properly equipped, or rather suitably
dressed, as every gentleman should be under all circumstances,
whether in the ballroom, encompassed on every side by a gay
throng of sparkling eyes, not less fatal in their glances oftentimes
than the reeking shot that is sent whirling from his unerring gun,
or in the wide-extended stubble-field, surrounded by his faithful
setters, stanch pointers, crafty marksman, and jovial companions.
The uncleared state of our country, and a comfortable scarcity of
game in the Middle States, render it necessary to have two dogs;
at all events, it is much better to have them, and, from our ex-
perience, we are led to recommend one to be a pointer and the
other a setter. The weather in the early part of the season is
often very warm and dry; and the setter, if overworked, will most
assuredly give out if not lavishly supplied with water, which, by-
the-by, it is often impossible-to obtain in some districts of country ;
while the pointer, on the other hand, will suffer very little or no
inconvenience either from the heat or thirst. The setter, however,
is peculiarly serviceable at this period of the season: being well
protected by his long shaggy hair, he does not for a moment hesi-
tate to penetrate the closest coverts, to which the birds are so apt
to take when disturbed. It is quite impossible for the smooth-
haired, wiry pointer to insinuate himself into these brakes or fast-
nesses; and if, in his eagerness to keep up with his companion, he
is forced into such places, he always retires from them with his
body and tail dreadfully lacerated by the thorns and briers that
are now flourishing so thick and rank.
Having provided ourselves with dogs and all necessary ammuni-
tion, we will now imagine that we have arrived, at a late hour in
the afternoon, at the tavern or farm-house from which we purpose
to sally the next morning in pursuit of game. The first thing to
be attended to by every sensible sportsman is the welfare of his
dogs, as most of his enjoyment depends upon their exertions,
and therefore no trouble on his part should be spared to keep them
in proper condition. The dogs being well fed and comfortably
housed, the sportsman may then think of his own comfort. We
8
114 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
never trust any one to feed our dogs, no matter how fatigued we
may be, but make it a positive rule, from which there is no appeal,
to attend to this duty ourselves, and most generally superintend
the cooking of their suppers as well as sharing it out to them
when done; for where can we find an ignorant country-servant or
farm-hand willing to bestow the necessary attention upon the pre-
paration and serving-up of food for an over-fatigued and perhaps
delicate pointer? Besides all this, there is another reason, equally
important, why the sportsman should feed his dogs himself: it
attaches the animals to him, and consequently makes them the
more subservient to his will, and therefore the more anxious to do
that which will merit his caresses and kind treatment. This is
really far more important than many careless owners of dogs
suppose; it is a feature in sporting that should not be over-
looked, and we wish particularly to call the attention of our
friends to its operation. For, after all, the pleasures resulting
from the field are almost entirely dependent upon the good and
gentle behavior of our dogs; for without their exhilarating presence
and cheerful assistance, the hunting of most game would be not
only very tame, but very uncertain amusement.
Having partaken of our supper, smoked our regalia, and sipped
perhaps a glass of warm punch,—but only one, and that very light,—
we retire to our own room at an early hour, unpack our carpet-bag,
and arrange all the shooting-apparatus ready for the morrow’s
expedition. This being done, we go to bed, sleep soundly, and
get up at the first dawn of day, big with expectations and ready
for action. Every thing being arranged over-night, we find all
the shooting-accoutrements at our very finger-ends, and conse-
quently are enabled to dress very leisurely, without bustle or
confusion. Breakfast being despatched,—which, by-the-by, should
be a very substantial repast,—we call our dogs. around us, give
them a light feed without flesh, and then, with a chosen companion,
away to the fields,
‘<Soon as the eastern skies display
The rosy tints of welcome day.”
THE PARTRIDGE. is
Do not be in too great a hurry for the first half hour. Go along
leisurely, and give the dogs an opportunity to empty themselves,
clear their nostrils, and tune their olfactory apparatus to a fine
degree of nicety by snuffing the untainted morning breeze.
It is always better to engage the services of a person to act
as marker. He can also carry on his arm a small basket con-
taining extra ammunition and a few nicely-prepared sandwiches
for luncheon.
MODE OF HUNTING DOGS.
Having already given a very minute and detailed account of
the partridge, as well as carried the sportsman into the field and
conducted him to the spots where he would most likely find the
game, it now remains for us to talk with him upon a subject of
the utmost importance,—namely, ‘the proper manner in which to
hunt his dogs.”
In the first place, let me warn you against venturing into the
field for a day’s hunt with half-broken dogs, more especially if in
company, as you will only worry yourself and annoy your friends;
but rather stay at home, or go alone attended by such torments.
If you go in company, you will not be able to teach them any
thing, owing to the ill-temper either of yourself or friends;
whereas, on the other hand, if you go alone, you will soon break
them in, after a few disappointments, and perhaps have a fine day’s
shooting. An old stanch pointer is the best field mentor for
116 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
young dogs,—far preferable to a setter, no matter how superior
he may be, as the pointer makes a far more honest and unmis-
takable stand than the setter, and at all times is more certain in
his behavior. |
Young and heedless dogs at all times are great pests in the
field, and we are often led to suppose that they ought to be broken
thoroughly before taken out; at all events, they should be under
perfect control, so far as coming and going, before we force them
into the company of our friends’ dogs to run and caper over the
fields, flushing and tearing after the birds, perfectly reckless of the
consequences. However, we have not much fear of a well-bred
dog, while under our tuition, disturbing the sport of our friends
while in the field, after we have once made him understand the
gross impropriety of running after birds; for we are satisfied that
few or none will ever repeat the offence a second or third time after
they have escaped from our perhaps cruel hands. If they do, we
are willing to pass them over to the keeping of some one else far
more patient and tender than we pretend to be with obstinate and
reckless animals.
Good dogs should be procured by provident sportsmen before
the shooting season comes around; they can be had far cheaper at
such times, will become familiar with their new master, and learn
to understand his every look and gesture. Always purchase young
dogs in preference to old ones, even if they should not be so well
broken. Old dogs are contrary, or rather self-willed, and if they
have perchance any vices, they are difficult to be got rid off.
Young dogs are far more pliable, and if intelligent will soon
accommodate themselves to your peculiar habits and modes of
hunting, and, what is very important, will not require replacing as
soon as old dogs. You should not expect the dog to study your
character alone, but recollect that it is equally the duty of the master
to strive to understand the disposition and temper of his faithful
coadjutor. If timid and wanting in confidence, he must be cheered
rather than reproved; if bold and full of action, he must be restrained
within proper bounds; if negligent of commands and regardless of
THE PARTRIDGE. ala by
instruction, he must be flogged, and that soundly, till brought to a
proper appreciation of your supreme authority.
Some dogs, as individuals, require far more correction than
others; the lash, consequently, should be employed with a tem-
pered hand; no dog ought to be punished except he is made
perfectly sensible of his misconduct, and, being once fully ap-
prised of his improprieties, should never, through negligence or
sickly sympathy, be allowed to escape the most condign and
immediate chastisement.
The fear of punishment at the hands of man has a wonderful
influence over the actions of all animals; but over none is this
controlling power more forcibly exercised than in the canine race.
The castigation, to-be-sure, may oftentimes be of the lightest
character—an angry look, a harsh word, or a single blow; still, the
faithful creature feels it all, and that very acutely, and by his
meek submission expresses repentance, and by his servile crouch-
ing acknowledges the utter helplessness of his position.
It were quite unnecessary for me to tell the sensible sportsman
never to kick or strike a dog with a heavy bludgeon; but we fear
lest there may be some of our readers who have not properly
thought over this matter, as we have occasionally witnessed scenes
in the field that have fairly thrilled us with horror. A reckless,
headstrong dog, we grant, is quite enough to try the temper of
the most self-governed man in the world, but nevertheless should
not be quite sufficient to cause him to kick him in anger or shoot
him in desperation and rage. If we cannot control our own actions
by the aid of education and our reasoning faculties, how should
we expect a dumb brute to do it, who has had so much less
tutoring and possesses but a tittle of the intellectual strength
bestowed on us!
The natural instinct or bent of inclination is, we all know, very
powerfully coercive in its operations over the actions of the brute
creation: how difficult then must it ever be for a high-strung, full-
blooded dog to suppress the spontaneous impulse that urges him
to spring upon game when under his very nose, or race after it when
118 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
on the wing. The act of pointing game, it must be recollected, is
not a truly automatic instinct of the animal, as many suppose, but
the beautiful result of discipline and long training in one special
branch. The habit, however, has now become so confirmed,
through this persevering education on the part of sportsmen, that
each generation of pointers, more particularly those of pure breeds,
seem to possess an involuntary desire to practise those actions that
have been inculcated by the dash in their forefathers.
Many breeds of pointers have this faculty of standing game so
early and powerfully developed that it is analogous to second
nature; for we often see whole litters of pups stop so instinctively
at the first scent of game, that they point the moment they come
upon partridges, without the least tutoring, and without knowing
the why or the wherefore.
There may be, however, more instinct in this practice of point-
ing than we are at first willing to suppose, as we know that most
predatory animals either lie in wait for prey or creep crouchingly
towards it for the purpose of surprise. In the pointer, therefore,
the habit may be somewhat instinctive in itself; but, as now per-
fected and propagated in the whole breed, is the result, as before
stated, of nice education. It is better im throwing the dogs off to
give them the wind, which they afterwards will be very apt to
keep, if taught to quarter their ground properly. Dogs should be
spoken to as little as possible in the field, and as much should be
accomplished by signal as can be; the eye and the hand should do
far more than the voice. If well broken, they may be allowed to
range pretty widely, so that they remain in sight. Young dogs
must always be within hearing; otherwise they commit some gross
errors without being reprimanded at the proper moment. When
the dogs come to a stand, approach as noiselessly as possible, and,
if the grass be deep, lift the feet high and tread as lightly as you
are able; and, if the birds are wild and lie badly, incline the body
forward, so as to keep it somewhat out of view. Flush the bird
yourself, by advancing, if necessary, even before the dogs, as it is
a bad practice to encourage the dogs to do it by hieing them on.
THE PARTRIDGE. 119
Young dogs can never stand such training, as they are not able, or
at all events, being so very eager, are not willing, to comprehend
the wide difference between flushing the game when their master is
directly behind them and doing it for their own particular gratifi-
cation when he is entirely out of gunshot. Old dogs may be hied
on occasionally, when circumstances seem to demand it, but young
dogs never, except we wish to spoil them and consequently give
ourselves a world of trouble in breaking them.
When the game is sprung, do not fire at random into the covey;
if you do, you will be sadly disappoimted at your want of success.
On the contrary, carefully select one bird, on which draw, and
then give the other barrel to another, perhaps one of the stragglers
last up. Never mind the dead birds; your dogs ought to be able
to find them. Watch the covey, if you have no marker, and see
exactly where they alight; and follow, if practicable, as soon as
your gun is loaded. It is better not to stir from the spot where
you are standing till your gun is charged again, as there may have
been one or two stragglers left behind when the covey flew. En-
deavor at all times to be on the guz vive for such as may be termed
chance shots, which will amount to a great deal in the course of a
day’s shooting. Dogs should be made to couch immediately at the
springing of a covey, or taught to come to heel without rating, and
never allowed to seek dead birds till after the gun is charged a
second time. A retriever that rushes out immediately on the firing
of the gun, in quest of the fallen victim, oftentimes does an im-
mense deal of harm; he should be taught to bring the bird when
directed, and not before. It is a very difficult task to teach any
animal, no matter how sagacious he may be, this nicety in fetching
dead game, as his first impulse is to break shot and seize the bird
the very moment it falls to the ground; and it is next to an im-
possibility to restrain a dog under such circumstances. In fact,
we have never yet met with a pointer or setter that was perfectly
broken in this respect; although we have had two as good re-
trievers as ever went into a field, in the common acceptance of the
term, still, they would most generally break shot, to seize the bird
120 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the moment we fired, and of course flush any birds that might re-
main. At times we were able to restrain them, more especially
when hunting alone; but when in company with other dogs it was
entirely out of the question to control them, as go they would in
quest of the bird in spite of all our efforts to the contrary. This
vice, of course, had a most baneful influence over all the dogs in
company, as they, naturally desiring to follow the example of our
retrievers, could with difficulty be made to down charge as they
were before tutored, preferring rather to contest the right to the
fallen game with our dogs. We have been annoyed in the same
way more than once with retrievers highly lauded by our friends;
and we must confess that such dogs, as a general thing, although
they save their owners some little trouble in picking the birds up,
do a great deal more harm than good; and upon the whole are
very bad companions for old and steady dogs, as well as most
ruinous preceptors for young ones. Of course, we would not object
to a perfectly-broken retriever, if such an animal can be found; but
we greatly doubt ever seeing so much perfection in either a good
pointer or setter. The mere act of fetching dead game is one of
the simplest feats performed by most of the members of the canine
race, and is, perhaps, one of the leading natural propensities of all
hunting dogs, and therefore easily cultivated in them. But, as
before observed, the great stumbling-block in the way of obtaining
a perfect retriever is the almost utter impossibility by any course
of discipline, no matter how severe, no matter how persevering, to
make a dog at all times restrain the powerful impulse that urges
him to rush forth to seize the fallen game, after he has once been
taught to do it.
These remarks, of course, refer to pointers and setters that are
otherwise well broken. If, however, a retriever be so very desirable
or necessary, it would be. an easy task to break one of either of
these dogs for this purpose alone, and by keeping him always at
one’s heels, save when told to go out in quest of the dead or
wounded game, there would of course be but little trouble in re-
straining him; whereas, in the other case, the dogs are generally
THE PARTRIDGE. 121
considerably in advance of the shooter, and cannot therefore be so
well controlled or brought to heel before being ordered to bring tle
bird. Any kind of a dog almost of the spaniel or even terrier
breed can be taught this duty, and no doubt would prove very ser-
viceable in recovering many birds, in the course of a day’s hunt,
that would otherwise be lost.
There are few retrievers, even the best of them, but that will at
times mouth or bite their game; and some can never be taught to
handle birds tenderly. The best plan to make a young dog gentle
with game, is to practise him on a stuffed partridge having wires
running through the body and the sharp points extending a trifle
from beneath the feathers, so’that when he attempts to bite or
mouth the bird the wires will prick his jaws pretty severely. This
is a most effectual method, if persevered in for a little while, and
will even do much towards correcting the vice in an old dog. If
this practice is tried in the stubble-field, it is better that the bird
be rubbed on the breast or back with a piece of cheese or fresh
meat, so as to give it an odor or artificial scent; otherwise the dog
cannot find it very easily; or, what is still better by far, rub the
stuffed bird with a genuine partridge, which will impart to its
feathers a temporary effluvium that the dog will at once recognise,
and therefore not hesitate to seize for the purpose of fetching.
A dog that will industriously and perseveringly hunt up wounded
or dead birds when so ordered, we consider absolutely a sine qua
non in shooting. In truth, a dog that will not assist his master in
this important service we would almost consider worthless for par-
tridge-shooting in some particular sections of country. Every dog
can be taught this duty without much trouble, although at first it is
often necessary to exercise, with young and high-strung animals,
considerable patience and perseverance, so as to confine their at-
tention to the particular spot where the game is supposed to have
fallen, thus giving them a fair opportunity of catching the scent
of the bird if dead, or of getting upon the track of it if only
wounded. When a dog, more particularly a well-bred setter, has
once acquired a tact and fondness for this particular duty, he is
122 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
most invaluable to the sportsman, and will save from prolonged
suffering many a poor bird that would otherwise lmger and die
from its fatal wounds. Upon the score, then, of humanity alone,
we should teach our dogs this important service, and never permit
them to abandon a disabled bird till after the most diligent search.
We have already spoken on this subject under the head of “killmg
clean,’’ and cannot too strongly impress these remarks upon the
minds of our readers.
The finding of dead game and the following-up of wounded
birds, however, can be taught a dog without his having the least
idea of fetching or of going in quest of the game till so ordered,
and, upon the whole, we think, answers a far better purpose than
the general run of dogs tutored to retrieve.
As for our own part, we never care to have another retriever for
general sporting, being satisfied to act dog and fetch our own
game, save in the case of point or bar-shooting, when a good
water-dog is absolutely indispensable. ‘To-be-sure, we may lose
an occasional bird by its falling across a creek or in some other
inaccessible place; but we are fully convinced, taking all the
chances, that we will have done better at the close of the day with-
out the services of an ordinarily-broken retriever than with him.
We say ordinarily-broken—by which we mean about the best of
those that we have ever met with in this country, where gentlemen
generally take upon themselves the task of breaking their own
dogs.
Neyer lose a bird, if possible, which you have once marked down,
but hunt the dogs closely about the spot, kicking the stubble or
brushwood, if there be any. Do not be in too great a hurry to get
over the ground, and by a little patience you will often get many
shots which your companion in his anxiety has left behind him. It
is by such manceuvres that good sportsmen always obtain game, no
matter how scarce it may be.
We doubt not that many of our readers will have observed the
habit which partridges have of lying very close till the sportsman
has passed by, and then suddenly flirting up, and making off behind
THE PARTRIDGE. 123
him, before he has time to turn around; therefore, we repeat again,
do not be in too much of a hurry. Recollect also that the par-
tridge of America has been pronounced the most difficult of all
game-birds to find, or to kill when found, and that frequently they
give forth no scent whatever for several minutes after they alight,
and consequently will defy the cleverest dogs to point them. Do
not, therefore, be discouraged either at your want of success in
getting birds up, or your want of skill in bringing them down, on
all occasions; but take things coolly, and hunt your dogs patiently,
more particularly when the birds have flown to close cover.
It is not always prudent to follow birds immediately into a thick
covert overgrown with rank underbrush, as they will give forth a
better odor in ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes after settling than
they would at first. Some birds, however, run the very moment
they have struck cover, and thus may be lost altogether, as they
move along pretty briskly when frightened, and after a lapse of
fifteen minutes may be a mile off from where they alighted.
Your dogs will naturally, or rather soon learn to hunt along
the sides of the fields adjoining cover, as partridges do not frequent
the middle of the fields except in portions of the Coun where
they are seldom or never hunted after.
When the dog comes to a point, if possible, place yourself be-
tween the birds and the cover, and, if practicable, face the wind,
as the covey when rising will furnish a much better shot.
Dogs should not be too severely rated for making false points,
as the best dogs will do it at times; those that back him, of course
must be entirely exonerated. Dogs possessing the very nicest
noses are occasionally at fault, and will overrun and flush single
birds, more especially in hot, dry weather, and should not be treated
too harshly for such mishaps. Much advantage is gained by the
mode of approaching your dogs when they have come upon a
covey; and every shooter should be able to judge of the position
of the birds by the actions of the dog.
English dogs, we are satisfied, from personal observation,—in fact,
from actual experiment, for we have imported several,—cannot at
124 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
first find our partridges with the same facility with which our dogs
do; and we might go further, and say there never was an imported
dog over the age of two years that ever acquired the art of finding
the American partridge equal to our own breed of pointers and
setters.
We might enlarge considerably on this subject, but we have
alréady referred our readers to Youatt’s work on the dog, wherein
will be found much that is interesting and useful on this head.
MEMORANDA.
1. Partridges are not migratory birds, although great numbers
show a disposition to shift their quarters at the running season.
2. The American partridge is not a quail, either in habits,
appearance, or the flavor of its flesh
3. Partridges commence pairing in March; period of incubation,
three weeks. The young are capable of locomotion as soon as
freed from the shell, and are able to fly in three or four weeks.
4, Not susceptible of domestication to any great extent.
5. Partridges are granivorous, and said to be very partial to
buckwheat.
6. It is not uncommon for them to produce two broods in one
season.
T. Young birds have soft bills, and the legs yellowish or bluish,
and lack the cunning of the old birds.
8. The English bird is much larger than the ee variety.
THE PARTRIDGE. 15
9. It is of no use to follow running birds, as they will not lie
to the dogs.
10. Partridges the best game to break dogs on.
11. Partridges are said to have the power of retaining their
scent.
12. A dry spring will generally produce plenty of birds the’
following autumn. wre
13. If the weather has been wet and boisterous, look to the high
ground for birds; if, on the contrary, dry and warm, seek the low-
lands.
14. If the morning is fair and clear, the birds will be on the
move at an early hour; if wet and cold, they are loath to stir.
15. Take the field at as early an hour as possible. Do not be
in too great a hurry to get over the ground; keep cool, and take
your time.
16. Dogs should be taught to hunt up wind and quarter their
ground without being bellowed at.
17. Pointers are better adapted for early shooting than setters ;
but, when the weather is cool, give us the never-flagging, never-to-
be-stopped setter.
18. Flush the game yourself; never allow your dogs to do it.
19. Mark the covey as it goes off. Pay no heed to the dead
birds; your dogs ought to find them.
20. When a bird towers and falls suddenly, he is struck in the
head.
=
EAH
Y ESSN
—
A pn
CHAPTER VII.
THE WILD TURKEY. MELEAGRIS GALLIPAVO.
“¢On the top
Of yon magnolia the loud turkey’s voice
Is heralding the dawn: from tree to tree
Extends the wakening watch-note far and wide,
Till the whole woodlands echo with the cry.”
126
THE WILD TURKEY. BAT
DESCRIPTION. ADULT MALE.
ILL shortish, robust, slightly arched,
rather obtuse, the base covered by a
bare membrane; upper mandible with
the dorsal outline arched, the sides con-
vex, the edges overlapping, the tip a little
= declinate; under mandible somewhat bulg-
ing towards the tip, the sides convex.
Nostrils situated in the basal membrane,
oblique, linear, covered by a cartilage.
Head small, flattened above, with a conical, pendulous, erectile
caruncle on the forehead. Neck slender. Body robust. Feet
longish and strong; tarsus covered anteriorly with numerous trans-
verse scutella, scaly on the sides, scutellate behind; toes scutellate
above, scabrous, papillar, and flat beneath; hind-toe elevated, half
the length of the lateral toes, which are nearly equal, and much
shorter than the middle toe; claws slightly arched, strong, convex
above, obtuse flat beneath. A conical, rather obtuse, spur on the
tarsus, about two-thirds down. Conical papilla of the forehead
rugose, sparsely covered with bristles. Head bare and corrugated,
the skin irregularly raised, and covered with a few scattered
bristles.
External ear margined with short and slender thin feathers.
Neck also bare, corrugated, beset anteriorly and below with a
series of oblong, irregular, cavernous caruncles, interspersed with
small, bristly feathers.
Plumage in general compact, glossy, with metallic reflection.
Feathers double, as in other gallinaceous birds, generally oblong
and truncated. A pendulous tuft of long bristles from the upper
part of the breast. Wings shortish, convex, rounded, consisting
of eighteen broad, rounded feathers, capable of being erected and
expanded in a permanent manner when the bird is excited, and
reaching nearly to the ground when the bird stands erect.
128 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Bill yellowish-brown. Frontal caruncle blue and red. Rugose
and carunculated skin of the head and neck of various tints of
blue and purple, the pendulous anterior caruncles of the latter, or
the wattles, bright red, changing to blue. Iris hazel, legs and
toes bright purplish-red; claws brown. Upper part of the back
and wings brownish-yellow, with metallic lustre, changing to deep
purple, the truncated tips of the feathers broadly margined with
velvet-black. On the middle and lower back, the black terminal
bands of the feathers almost conceal the bronze color. The large
quill-coverts are of the same color as the back, but more bronzed,
with purple reflections.
Quills brownish-black, the primaries banded with grayish-white,
the secondaries with brownish-white, gradually becoming deeper
towards the proximal feathers, which are similar to the coverts.
The lower part of the back and the coverts are deep chestnut,
banded with green and black. The tail-feathers are of the same
color, undulatingly barred, and minutely sprinkled with black, and
having a broad, blackish bar towards the tip, which is pale-brown
and minutely mottled. The under parts are duller. Breast of the
same colors as the back, the terminal black band not so broad;
sides dark-colored; abdomen and thighs brownish-gray; under-tail
coverts blackish, glossed with bronze, and at the tip bright reddish-
brown.
Length, 4 feet 1 inch; extent of wings, 5 feet 8 inches; beak,
11 inches along the ridge, 2 along the gap; tarsus, 7;; middle
toe, 5; hind toe, 2; pectoral appendage, one foot.
The female is considerably inferior in size, with the wattles much
smaller, the tuft on the breast comparatively small and only in old
birds, the color of the plumage duller, there being but little of
the refulgent hues of the male, and the lower parts brownish-black.
The young, before being fledged, are pale, brownish-yellow above,
pale yellowish-gray beneath, the top of the head brighter, marked
in the middle with a longitudinal pale-brown band; the back and
wings spotted with brownish-black, excepting the smaller wing-
coverts, which are uniformly dull brown.
THE WILD TURKEY. 129
The above will at once be recognised as Audubon’s description
of this magnificent bird.
NATURAL HISTORY AND LOCALITIES—-WHERE FOUND.
The wild turkey, the largest of all the fowls that have been
reclaimed from the primeval forests of this or any other country
and made subservient to the never-ceasing wants of man, stands
pre-eminent among the game-birds of America.
In former times this noble bird wandered in undisturbed peace
and quiet, in vast armies, from one end of our remote country to
the other, having little or nothing to dread from the savage
inhabitants of those wild regions, abounding in game to them of a
much more attractive as well as useful character. Then it was, be-
fore the pristine forests and luxuriant plains of this vast continent
had been invaded by the devastating foot of the white man, that
this proud and beautiful fowl roamed in joyous security, unmolested,
unharmed, in its native haunts. Then it was that the haughty,
vainglorious gobblers, in conscious freedom, decked in the most
gorgeous plumage, with outstretched wings, quivering bodies, and
blustering heads, pompously strutted and puffed in mimic grandeur,
as it were, to win the favor of their amorous but still unyielding
mates, or meeting in battle array with sanguinary fury, avenged
their jealous desires. Then it was, hidden away in some choice
umbrageous copse, that the anxious mother, without fear, without
restraint, patiently hatched and reared her tender brood, and
brought them forth with careless solicitude, to feed and wander
over the fruitful plains.
How changed is all this! Scarcely a bird is now to be encoun-
tered on the whole northern and eastern Atlantic seaboard. The
destroying hand of the white man is stretched forth, and his vic-
tims are vainly seeking an asylum far beyond the confines of the
‘Father of Waters;’’ and the time is fast approaching, we fear,
when we shall hear of the wild turkey as one of the almost extinct
species of our land.
Few or none are to be met with, at this present time, north or
139 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
east of Pennsylvania, and few—very few—in some of the remotest
portions of this latter State. Small flocks are found in the wild
and woody regions of Virginia, larger numbers in Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, and Kentucky, but only in considerable congregations in
the unsettled tracts far beyond these localities. During the last
autumn, while shooting in the interior of Virginia, in company
with Andrew Staley, Esq., we encountered several of these birds;
but they were in such straggling parties and so very wild that
little or no inducement was offered to hunt them. We were in-
formed, however, that ‘a sportsman in that district, who followed
this particular kind of game with great zeal and ardor, had killed
some twenty or more during the previous season; but even this
success, we are well assured, was only accomplished at a great
expense of time, patience, and real labor. Of all this, however, we
need not speak, as the sportsman, no doubt, in his own mind, was
richly repaid for all he endured.
In the wilder portions of Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, and Alabama, they are still to be found in some abundance,
are more scarce in Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.
We are greatly indebted to our esteemed friend, Doctor R. Percy
Sargent, who resides in the neighborhood of Natchez and devotes
much of his leisure to shooting and the study of the habits of
game-birds, for a letter containing much useful as well as practical
information regarding the wild turkey. From this article, so
kindly furnished us by the doctor, we shall in the course of this
compilation make some considerable extracts, as well as from
Audubon, to whom we owe nearly all our knowledge of the bird
under consideration; for we must frankly confess that our own
opportunities of studying them in their native haunts have been
very limited.
_ The doctor informs us that wild turkeys are still met with in
‘small numbers in the cypress-swamps, thick forests, and wild
ridges of the neighborhood around Natchez. They are, of
course, very wary, cunning, and watchful of the approach of man,
and are only to be killed by those long experienced in hunting
9
THE WILD* TURKEY. LSE
them and practically familiar with their habits and secret haunts.
Although these birds in the settled districts occasionally come out
into the open meadows and frequent the grain-fields, still, they
generally secrete themselves in the depths of the forests, and are
seldom to be approached within gunshot, save when on the roost
at early dawn or when drawn into ambush by the deceptive call
of the huntsman.
INCUBATION.
The season devoted by the wild turkey to propagation and
incubation is a very interesting period for the lover of natural
history to study the habits and characteristics of this truly mag-
nificent bird.
These promptings of nature to perpetuate her creations are
observed in the turkey as early as the month of March, and, if the
weather be favorable, even as soon as the middle of February.
The first change that takes place in its ordinary habits that seems
to mark the near approach of this sexual desire is the partial
separation of the females from the males, accompanied by the
almost incessant gobbling of the latter. The turkey, like others
of the gallinaceous order, is very salacious, and does not by any
means confine his attentions to one hen, but oftentimes becomes
the mate and protector of several, and is ever ready to give battle
at the slightest token of intrusion on the part of less favored
rivals. )
These conflicts, too, are often contested in the most desperate
manner, insomuch that death to several of the combatants not
unfrequently results from a general engagement.
Audubon remarks on this head:—‘I have often been much di-
verted, while watching two males in fierce conflict, by seeing them
move alternately backwards and forwards, as either had obtained
a better hold, their wings drooping, their tails partly raised, their
body-feathers ruffled, and their heads covered with blood. If, as
they thus struggle and gasp for breath, one of them should lose
his hold, his chance is over; for the other, still holding fast, hits
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a LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
him violently with spurs and wings, and in a few minutes brings
him to the ground. The moment he is dead, the conqueror treads
him under foot, but, what is strange, not with hatred, but with all
the motions which he employs in caressing the female.”
The period of sexual intercourse continues for several weeks,
when the female, towards the middle of April, begins to make
arrangements for placing her eggs in security. She now sees far
less of her mate, being anxiously occupied in securing a favorable
site for the nest, which is formed on the ground in a very slovenly
and artless manner.
A dry situation is always selected for this purpose, most gene-
rally a mere hollow scooped out in the ground by the side of an
old stump, moss-covered log, or fallen tree, hidden from casual
view by the intervention of thick and tangled bushes, and the ap-
proach protected by the rank growth of creeping vines and matted
briers.
They also form their nests occasionally in the small thickets or
briery patches of the open fields, (Dr. Sargent informs us that such
is most generally the case about his neighborhood,) as well as within
the edge of the canebrakes. Audubon states “‘that the eggs,
which are of a dull cream-color sprinkled with red dots, sometimes
amount to twenty, although the more usual number is from ten to
fifteen.”
The hen is very cautious when approaching her nest, so much
so that she seldom goes to it more than once by the same route;
and when she leaves it, for the purpose of feeding or seeking the
company of her mate, she carefully conceals the eggs from observa-
tion by covering them over with leaves.
The turkey-cock does not assist in the duties of incubation, but,
on the other hand, is ever eager to discover the nest and destroy
the eggs, so that he may insure for himself the further company
of the hen. This latter circumstance, therefore, is one of the
strongest incentives which urges the anxious mother to conceal the
locality of the nest from her jealous and treacherous mate. Seve-
ral hens, we are informed, occasionally deposit their eggs in the
THE WILD TURKEY. 133
same nest in beautiful harmony, and, being thus intimately asso-
ciated, pursue their maternal duties in perfect congeniality and in-
creased security from the attacks of wild animals, birds of prey, or
lurking serpents. Audubon mentions having discovered three sit-
ting on forty-two eggs.
When on the nest, the hen is noiseless as death itself, but
watchful as her keen vision and acute hearing can possibly
make her; and with equal sagacity, though trembling with
terror for the safety of herself and eggs, will permit the uncon-
scious intruder to pass within a few paces of her, without moving
from her seat.
When the full period of incubation is drawing to a close, the
hen will not leave the nest under any contingency; she will rather
sacrifice her own life than abandon the offspring just about burst-
ing into existence. Indeed, so resolute is she in her nearly-accom-
plished purpose that, Audubon states, she will even allow an en-
closure to be built around her, rather than forsake them at this
critical juncture !
How marvellous, how powerful, how impressive the instinct
which thus sways the actions of an otherwise timid, cautious, and
wary bird, that under ordinary circumstances takes alarm at the
slightest token of danger, not only fleeing the presence of man, but
driven into precipitate flight at the very sound of his voice!
Wet weather and low, moist grounds are very detrimental to the
well-being of the young turkeys; insomuch that an inclement spell,
about the period of hatching, is very destructive to the tender
brood. The hen at such seasons, doubly solicitous for the preserva-
tion of her sensitive offspring, seeks the high, dry grounds, and,
further to ward off the ill effects resulting from exposure to rain,
Audubon tells us that she, with instinctive ingenuity, feeds them
upon the buds of the spicewood-bush.
The young continue to nestle on the ground for two or three
weeks; they are then sufficiently strong to take to the low limbs
of trees, where they roost under the wide-extended wings of their
ever-anxious parent. ‘The plumage of the young bird grows with
134 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
considerable vigor, and they increase im size and strength very
rapidly, provided the weather continues propitious.
As early as the month of August, the young turkeys are quite
able to take care of themselves as well as fly to the tops of the
highest trees. Our author, from whom we have already quoted so
liberally, informs us that about this time “the young cocks show
the tuft on the breast, and begin to gobble and strut, while the
young hens pur and leap.”
The wild turkey, as a general habit, rears but one brood of a
season; but if she forsakes or is driven from the nest, or the eggs
are destroyed by some one of her numerous enemies, she seeks her
mate and makes preparations for another setting.
During the period immediately succeeding that devoted to sexual
enjoyment, “‘the males become greatly emaciated, and cease to
gobble, their breast-sponge becoming flat. They then separate from
the hens, and one might suppose that they had entirely deserted
their neighbors. At such seasons I have found them lying by the
side of a log, in some retired part of the dense woods and cane-
thickets, and often permitting one to approach within a few feet.
They are then unable to fly, but run swiftly, and to a great dis-
tance.”
Several weeks elapse before the gobblers entirely recover their
condition, when they all reassemble, old and young, males and fe-
males, and move off to some more favored feeding-ground.
FOOD.
The wild turkey is not very particular in the choice of food;
but little comes amiss. They partake indiscriminately of all the
forest-fruits, such as nuts and berries; also consume considerably
of grass, herbs, buds, seeds, &c., as well as beetles, grasshoppers,
tadpoles, worms, and even lizards. When feeding on the plains,
they feast on strawberries, dewberries, blackberries, and all similar
productions.
Audubon states that they are particularly partial to the pecan-
nut and winter grape; they also eat largely of the fruit of the oak
THE WILD TURKEY. 135
and beech, as well as of all kinds of grain, when to be obtained
without too much exposure.
MIGRATIONS.
The turkey is principally influenced in its movements after the
breeding-season by the abundance or non-abundance of food.
They often wander in enormous droves, at certain times, over a
wide extent of country in search of mast, on which they principally
feed during the late autumn and winter months. When they en-
counter a river during these peregrinations, they mount the loftiest
trees on the banks, and after a general conference, which some-
times, strange to say, lasts a day or two, the whole party, at a
given signal from the leaders, take flight and reach the opposite
shore without much difficulty.
Should any, however, from want of confidence or strength, fail
in the effort and fall into the water, they swim with considerable
dexterity, and soon gain the land.
THEIR DOMESTICATION.
The wild turkey is a native solely of the New World; it is indi-
genous to the wilds of America, and the progenitor of the domestic
fowl so generally distributed over the whole civilized globe.
It is, then, to the forests of our country that the Old World is
136 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
indebted for one of the most common, but at the same time one
of the most choice, of all the barnyard-fowls that have, by the in-
genuity of man, been reclaimed from their native haunts to minister
to his daily wants.
‘In a state of domestication, the wild turkeys, though kept sepa-
rate from tame individuals, lose the brilliancy of their plumage in
the third generation, becoming plain brown, and having here and
there white feathers intermixed.”
Wild turkeys often, when opportunities offer, associate with tame
ones, and with great advantage to the latter, as it improves the
stock, making them more hardy, and consequently less difficult to
raise.
It is a subject of somewhat curious interest to examine the
various notions or theories that have been broached by different
writers, by way of explaining in a satisfactory manner how this
fowl, entirely indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, should have
received the appellation of Turkey; for this name would very
naturally seem to imply that the bird was a native of the East,
rather than of the New World.
This seeming paradox may, however, be reconciled by a refer-
ence to the history of the period of its introduction into England.
The Turks were then in their zenith of glory, or, rather, were in
their most lawless state of rapine and plunder; insomuch that the
whole nation was dreaded as well as despised throughout all Chris-
tendom.
Their ships, almost unmolested, swept the waters of the Medi-
terranean, while their fleet galleys laid waste the sunny shores of
Italia, as well as carried devastation along the coasts of Hispania
and the adjacent countries. As a nation, they were nothing more
than a horde of barbarians, a band of pirates, leagued together for
the purpose of carnage and pillage; their very name a byword to
all the more civilized people of the Old World,—a token of con-
tempt, a symbol of cruelty, cowardice, and oppression. Such was
the period of the advent of this bird in England; and, coming as a
stranger from distant parts, no one knew or cared whence, they
THE WILD TURKEY. 137
were regarded as fancy fowls alone. Most probably their intro-
duction was through the medium of some of the British cruisers
from the coast of Spain, where, no doubt, many of the birds had
already been brought from the newly-acquired Spanish possessions
in the New World, and dubbed Turkey, or Turkey-Bird, in a
spirit, perhaps, of irony or contempt for its irascible and pugna-
cious disposition, as evinced in its blustering attitudes, unmeaning
struttings, and senseless gobblings. And this title seemed the still
more appropriate for the pompous stranger, owing to the pectoral
appendage resembling so much the huge tufts of beard which the
Turks were so remarkable for cultivating.
The singular misnomer of this fowl seems conclusive evidence
that the bird was not brought to England direct from America;
and, whether there be any truth or not in the above conjecture,
there is certainly much plausibility in the deductions. However,
let all this be as it may, it is a well-known fact that, about the
period of its troduction into England, during the reign of that
monster Henry VIII., the British merchants carried on a consider-
able traffic throughout the Mediterranean, and even extended their
voyages as far as Smyrna on the one side and Constantinople on
the other; and it is not improbable that their vessels, on their
return voyages, stopping for trading purposes at the different
Spanish ports, may have brought home, as mere fancy fowls, some
of these birds lately arrived from the Western World.
And thus alone, from the mere circumstance of arriving in Eng-
land through the medium of these same Turkish traders, ignorant,
perhaps, themselves of the true history of the fowl, it was very
naturally presumed by the uninitiated to have been brought from
the most remote region that the vessels visited, which was Constan-
tinople, and consequently received the cognomen of Turkey or
Turkey-Bird, without any particular allusion to the peculiar condi-
tion of the Turks at this period.
With the exception of the hen and goose, the turkey is by far
the most valuable addition which has been made to our domestic
fowls; and it is somewhat strange that the history of its trans-
138 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
plantation across the waters should have become involved in so
much obscurity that more than one eminent author has striven to
establish an Asiatic or African origin for it.
But such efforts at imposition could not long stand before the
ever-ready pen of the closely-investigating Buffon, who soon, by
a few researches, cleared away the mist by which these specious
writers had enveloped the early history of the bird, and proclaimed
it a fowl indigenous to the wilds of America alone.
Prescott, in his Conquest of Mexico, makes frequent mention of
the turkey, not only in its wild state, but as domesticated among
the Aztecs; in fact, it was more common than any other kind of
poultry among this strange people. And as a proof of this asser-
tion we need only state that, along with other items enumerated
in a list of yearly household expenditures of the Tezcucan monarch,
was an almost incredible number of turkeys, being no less than
eight thousand.
THEIR FLESH.
The flesh of the wild turkey assimilates very closely to that of
the tame fowl, but is darker, more juicy, and, of course, has more
of a game flavor.
TRAPPING TURKEYS.
In parts of the country where these birds are numerous, the
most effectual mode to procure a supply is to catch them in traps,
or rather pens.
Audubon states that tney are constructed thus :—‘“ Young trees
of four or five inches in diameter are cut down and divided into
pieces of the length of twelve or fourteen feet. Two of these are
laid on the ground, parallel to each other, at a distance of ten or
twelve feet. Two other pieces are laid across the ends of these, at
right angles to them; and in this manner successive layers are
added, until the fabric is raised to the height of four feet. It is
then covered with similar pieces of wood, placed three or four
inches apart. and loaded with one or two heavy logs to render the
THE WILD TURKEY. 139
whole firm. This done, a trench, about eighteen inches in depth
and width, is cut under one side of the cage, into which it opens
slantingly and rather abruptly. It is continued on its outside to
some distance, so as gradually to attain the level of the surround-
ing ground. Over the part of this trench within the pen, and
close to the wall, some sticks are placed so as to form a kind of
bridge about a foot in breadth.
“The trap being now finished, the owner places a quantity of
Indian corn in its centre, as well as in the trench, and, as he walks
off, drops here and there a few grains in the woods, sometimes to
the distance of a mile. This is repeated at every visit to the trap
after the turkeys have found it. Sometimes two trenches are cut,
in which case the trenches enter on opposite sides of the trap, and
are both strewn with corn. No sooner has a turkey discovered
the train of corn, than it communicates the circumstance to the
flock by a cluck, when all of them come up, and searching for the
grains scattered about, at length come upon the trench, which they
follow, squeezing themselves, one after another, through the pas-
sage under the bridge. In this manner the whole flock sometimes
enters, but more commonly six or seven only, as they are alarmed
by the least noise, even the cracking of a tree in frosty weather.
‘Those within, having gorged themselves, raise their heads, and
try to force their way through the top or sides of the pen, passing
and repassing on the bridge, but never, for a moment, looking
down, or attempting to escape through the passage by which they
enter. Thus they remain until the owner of the trap, arriving,
closes the trench and secures his captives. Dr. Sargent informs
us that it is usual, in his part of the country, to make these pens
in the corners of the worm fences.”’
SHOOTING TURKEYS.
Various plans are resorted to by huntsmen to kill turkeys, de-
pendent in a great measure upon the particular locality shot over.
If the country be new and wild, and the birds abundant, as well
as seldom pursued, much less stratagem is necessary to approach
%
a
140 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
them than if the region is thickly settled and the turkeys pro-
portionately scarce and wary from previous hunting; for in this
case it requires much labor, skill, and cunning, to entice them
within gun or rifle-shot.
A good turkey-dog is of great consequence, Audubon remarks,
in the pursuit of these birds, as they not only scent the game from
a great distance, but, when up with it, perform the most essential
service in running into their midst and forcing them to take flight
to the trees in the utmost confusion, thus procuring for the sports-
man the most desirable shots.
If the turkeys were not thus scattered by the dog and made to
take to the trees in disorder and terror, they would all make off in
a body with such suddenness and precipitancy that it would be
impossible for the sportsman to come up with them.
The wild turkey runs with amazing celerity, vigor, and bottom,
insomuch that they soon outstrip both dog and rider; even when
badly winged, it requires a swift dog to overtake them.
Turkeys are easily killed if shot in the head or neck; when hit
only in the body they most frequently make off and are lost to
the hunter. ;
It is a common practice in some localities to shoot these birds
on their roost on moonlight nights, when they can be distinguished
quite easily on the trees.
Dr. Sargent states “‘that wild turkeys commence gobbling a
little before the break of day, and continue on their roosts until
broad daylight; during this interim, the hunter can cautiously
glide within shooting-distance of the tree upon which they are
perched, and, silently and patiently awaiting till the dawn has
broken, secure his game without further trouble. This march
upon our victims, however, must be accomplished in the most
stealthy manner; otherwise, the wary gobbler will be alarmed, and
seek safety in the most inglorious flight.” If such should be the
case, the doctor further remarks that the sportsman must now
remain perfectly calm and quiet for twenty minutes or so, and
then, perhaps, by a few well-timed yelps, may be able to draw the
THE WILD TURKEY. 141
wary but still amorous swain within the deadly ambush. Another
artifice has also been resorted to by the doctor, to secure this wary
bird, by placing a tame turkey in a suitable position, with a long
cord attached to his leg, by pulling which the uneasy captive is
made to cluck from time to time, so as to attract the notice of any
wild ones that are known to be concealed or feeding in the imme-
diate vicinity; for a gobbler, on hearing this call or ery of another,
instantly rushes forward, to meet him, and is thus easily shot
down.
ENEMIES.
The wild turkey is pursued, harassed, and preyed upon, by quad-
rupeds innumerable, as well as by the larger species of birds of
prey. The wolf, fox, lynx, cougar, opossum, and wild cat, all prowl
about, destroying their nests as well as their tender offspring, or,
lying in wait, pounce upon the full-grown birds as their lawful
prey.
Audubon remarks, on this head, that ‘the lynx sucks their
eggs, and is extremely expert at seizing both young and old,
which he effects in the following manner:— When he has dis-
covered a flock of turkeys, he follows them at a distance for some
time, until he ascertains the direction in which they are proceed-
ing. He then makes a rapid circular movement, gets in advance
of the flock, and lays himself down in ambush until the birds
come up, when he springs upon one of them by a single bound
and secures it. While once sitting in the woods, on the banks of
the Wabash, I observed two large turkey-cocks on a log by the
river, pluming and picking themselves. I watched their move-
ments for a while, when, of a sudden, one of them flew across the
river, while I perceived the other struggling under the grasp of a
lynx.”
The larger species of owls, as well as hawks, are said to attack
and destroy the full-grown birds as well as those of a more tender
age.
The lurking and noisome serpent also plunders the nest, and
secures the helpless brood when first merged into existence.
142 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
MEMORANDA.
1. Turkeys were formerly very abundant throughout the whole
continent of North America.
2. The gobbler does not confine his attentions to one hen, but
oftentimes has several under his protection.
3. The hen sits very close, and endeavors to conceal the nest
from the cock bird. !
4. The young brood is sufficiently strong to take to the trees
in the course of two or three weeks after hatching.
5. Wild turkeys are not very particular as to the choice of food:
they partake indiscriminately of all the field and forest-fruits, as
well as the various descriptions of insects and small animals which
they encounter.
6. At certain seasons turkeys wander over a wide extent of
country in enormous droves.
7. The turkey is solely a native of the New World, and the pro-
genitor of the domestic fowl.
8. Most probably introduced into England through the medium
of Spain.
9. The turkey has almost entirely disappeared from the Atlan-
tic seaboard States.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE RUFFED GROUSE, OR PHEASANT. TETRAO UMBELLUS.
‘“¢ Two whirring pheasants swept across our path,
And swift as lightning flew the fiery death.”
THEIR LOCALITY.
N almost every section of our country,
fromthe northernmost latitudes even as
far south as Georgia, ruffed grouse are
to be met with. At times they are very
abundant in the pines of Jersey, as well
as the mountainous ranges of the Mis-
sissippi and Columbia Rivers.
Numbers of grouse were formerly
found in the higher elevations of the
barrens of Kentucky and Tennessee; and some remain there
even at the present time, although far less abundant than they
were afew yearssince. ‘This particular section of country afforded
143
144 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fine protection and plenty of agreeable food for these birds, and
the regular temperature of the climate was at all times such as
was most congenial to their habits.
NOMENCLATURE.
The ruffed grouse derives its name from the peculiar construc-
tion of the plumage on the neck,—‘‘a large space being left desti-
tute of feathers, but covered over by an erectile ruff of elongated
feathers, of which the upper are. silky, shining, and curved forward
at the end, which is very broad and rounded.”
Like most others of our game-birds, the ruffed grouse has several
local appellations: it is called partridge in the Hastern States,
pheasant in the Middle, and grouse in the Western. So general is
it with us all to call this bird pheasant in Pennsylvania, and by no
other name, that it really would appear like a piece of pedantry.
to give it its proper appellation of grouse; in fact, most of our
shooters would not recognise the bird at all by this name.
DESCRIPTION.
The pheasant is eighteen inches long and twenty-three in ex-
tent; bill a horn-color; eye reddish-hazel, immediately above which
is a small spot of bare skin of a scarlet color; crested head, and
neck variegated with black, red, brown, white, and pale brown;
sides of the neck furnished with a tuft of large black feathers,
twenty-nine or thirty in number, which it occasionally raises; this
tuft covers a large space of the neck destitute of feathers; body
above, a bright rust-color, marked with oval spots of yellowish-
white, and sprinkled with white spotted with olive; the tail is
rounding, extends five inches beyond the tips of the wings, is of a
reddish-brown, beautifully marked with numerous waving trans-
verse hairs of black, is also crossed by a broad band of black,
within half an inch of the tip, which is bluish-white, thickly
sprinkled and speckled with black; body below, white, marked
with large blotches of pale brown; the legs are covered half-way
to the feet with hairy down of a brownish-white color; legs and
THE PHEASANT. 145
feet pale ash; toes pectinated along the sides, the two exterior
ones joined at the base as far as the first joint by a membrane;
vent yellowish rust-color. The plumage of the female is less beau-
tiful, the ruff smaller and more of a brownish color; the bar of
black on the tail is also of a lighter color, and the plumage gene-
rally of a lighter shade.
Many persons confound the ruffed grouse with the prairie-hen;
but this is quite wrong, as there is a striking difference between
the two birds, not only in their plumage, but also in their modes
of life. The former variety, it is well known to every one at all
familiar with its habits, delights in the mountainous districts of
our country, and is particularly partial to craggy sides of the hills,
and the steep, rocky, and almost inaccessible banks of rivers or
small streams; while, on the other hand, the prairie-grouse feeds
entirely upon the open plains and clear countries of the West, and
never, except when disturbed by the huntsman, forsakes these
situations for the woods.
THEIR GRADUAL EXTINCTION.
The ruffed grouse, as well as the pinnated, is fast retiring from
before the destructive hand of the whites; for, notwithstanding
the broods of the former are so very prolific and their haunts so
retired, the demand for them in our cities increases so fast that
every encouragement is offered to the ruthless netters and trappers
who are ever at work thinning their numbers, in season or out of
season, as may best suit their convenience or the pampered palates
of their guilty customers. There are, however, considerable num-
bers of grouse in some portions of New Jersey, and many more in
Pennsylvania and New York; but every season sends forth a myriad
of gunners to shoot them down, while the deep snows of our long
winters drive them, half-famished, into the fatal traps and snares
that are so thickly scattered over their haunts. We need hardly
speak at this particular time of the unsportsmanlike and barbarous
custom of shooting game out of season, or offer any comment upon
the subject, as we have already said much thereon under another
10
146 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
head, and, we trust, quite enough to induce every sensible man to
discountenance such proceedings as far as lies in his power, whether
he be a sportsman or not; for, unless some attention is given to
this matter by the people generally, we may soon expect to find
our whole Atlantic seaboard entirely destitute of game of every
description.
INCUBATION.
The pheasant begins pairing in March and April, and the nest
is finished in the course of two or three weeks. The most solitary
situations are selected for incubation, and the nest itself is formed
even more rudely than that of the partridge, but of pretty much
the same material, and generally at the base of a small bush, tree,
or old stump. ‘The hen generally drops from five to twelve eggs,
of a dull-yellowish color, without spots, and nearly the size of those
of a Polish chicken. The nest, notwithstanding the secrecy of its
situation, is often plundered, during the absence of the hen, by the
crow, raven, and other cruel enemies, that are constantly on the
watch to seize upon such delicacies as it contains. In this case
the hen is very apt to court again the society of the cock birds,
form a new nest, and go to laying a second time; which fact, as
in the partridge, has given rise to the idea of two broods in a
season. The young leave the nest almost as soon as hatched, and
follow the mother in quest of food; if surprised during these per-
ambulations, they skulk in the grass as young partridges do, while
the hen resorts to the same artifices to allure the sportsman away
from the vicinity of her tender offspring. Wilson mentions that
on one occasion, having accidentally come upon a hen pheasant in
company with her brood, she flew up, evidently much alarmed,
fluttered for a few moments before him, and then darted down and
seized one of the young in her bill and bore it off to a place of
safety, leaving him, of course, greatly surprised at the extra-
ordinary incident.
The young birds are sufficiently strong and well grown to fly a
short distance in the course of a very few days. The cock birds
THE PHEASANT. 147
do not assist their mates in the care of the broods, but associate
themselves together in small bands till the autumn, or rather the
commencement of cold weather, when they all again mingle indis-
criminately together, young and old.
DRUMMING.
Early in the spring, the forests resound far and wide, in certain
portions of our country, with the drumming of the cock pheasant,
who adopts this rather singular method of calling the hen into his
presence; in fact, the making of this peculiar noise is the only
sure plan that he has of wooing his mate from her close retreat
during the period of incubation. This operation is a very singular
manceuvre, and we know not better how to explain it to our readers
than in the words of Audubon :—
“The male bird, standing erect on a prostrate decayed trunk,
raises the feathers of its body in the manner of a turkey-cock,
draws its head towards its tail, erecting the feathers of the latter
at the same time, and, raising its ruff around the neck, suffers its
wings to drop, and struts about on the log. A few moments elapse,
when the bird draws the whole of its feathers close to its body,
and, stretching itself out, beats its sides with its wings in the man-
ner of the domestic cock, but more loudly, and with such rapidity
of motion, after a few of the first strokes, as to cause a tremor in
the air not unlike the rumbling of distant thunder.”’
This rumbling sound is called the drumming of the pheasant,
and in clear weather may be heard a long distance off. The cock
resorts to the same spot, if undisturbed, during the whole breeding
season, for the purpose of performing these singular manceuvres,
as may very easily be proved by the large deposits of excrement and
feathers that are always found in places suitable for this purpose.
During the pairing season, fierce battles often take place be-
tween the males for the possession of the females. The cocks are
not confined entirely in their attentions to one mate, but often
have several hens under their protection.
148 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
MIGRATIONS.
Like the partridge and wild turkey, pheasants are said to per-
form partial migrations, from northwest to southeast, at the ap-
proach of winter; but their excursions are neither so general nor
extensive as those of the partridge. Pheasants fly with great ease,
and do not hesitate to cross the widest rivers that obstruct their
way during the season of migration. Audubon, speaking of these
migrations, remarks that ‘‘no one who pays the least attention to
the manners and habits of our birds can fail to observe them.”
FLIGHT.
This bird, like most others of the gallinaceous order, when dis-
turbed, flies with a loud whirring noise, even louder and move
startling than that made by the springing of a large covey of
partridges. They usually fly away in a direct line, and seldom or
never either cross the shooter or fly behind him.
When not put to flight from fear or any other exciting cause,
they move off slowly and rather stiffly, flapping their wings for
a few seconds, and then sailing ahead. They seldom go farther
than a few hundred yards at a time. Audubon does not think
that any of the gallinaceous tribe, when moving through the air
perfectly free from excitement, necessarily make a whirring sound;
but, on the contrary, supposes the noise is produced by the unusual
rapidity in the motion of the wings, owing to the over-anxiety of
the bird to escape the suspected danger. He also states that he
has observed pheasants, as well as partridges, rise and fly off of
THE PHEASANT. 149
their own free will without making the least noise, but, on the
contrary, moving as lightly and silently as other birds.
HABITS.
The ruffed grouse, as before stated, is a very solitary bird, com-
monly found in small packs of four to eight, in sections of the
country where they are not too much hunted. If frequently dis-
turbed, it is rare to find more than a single pair together. They
delight in high, elevated districts, and love to roam about in dense
and secluded forests, watered by some large stream, upon the
precipitate banks of which they can repose in silence or wander
about im search of food. At a very early hour in the morning
they usually leave their secluded haunts and repair to the roads
that traverse the forests, where they busy themselves in picking
up gravel and scratching for grain in the droppings of horses.
Ruffed grouse are also particularly partial to most kinds of seeds,
berries, and grapes, and are always in good condition when they
can procure a supply of wild strawberries, dewberries, and whortle-
berries, and will not hesitate to roam long distances from their
retreats in search of these delicacies when in season. In the
spring, grouse feed on the tender buds of various trees, and are
perhaps less wild then than at any other period of the year, but
they are generally very poor and tasteless. In the winter season,
grouse, as well as partridges, are driven to great extremes for
food, and when the snow is very deep they depend almost entirely
for sustenance on the buds and leaves of the mountain-laurel,
(kalmia latifolia,) which food is said to poison their flesh so much
that it is dangerous to partake of them.
We have already spoken of this circumstance when treating of
the partridge, and avail ourselves of this opportunity to say that
we are very sceptical on this head, and doubt very much whether a
fresh-killed pheasant could possibly poison any one partaking of it,
no matter how long the bird had been forced to feed upon portions of
the shrub. We are disposed to attribute these instances of poisoning
referred to by writers to other circumstances than the mere living
150 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
on this evergreen, and would rather consider them as the conse-
quence of indulging in these birds when half putrid from age, or
even when preserved perfectly sweet for a long while after death,
with the craws stuffed full of this plant, which might possibly
render the flesh poisonous by the absorption or impregnation of
its noxious juices. Such, in fact, is the opinion of most of the
ornithologists who have given the subject their attention. As for
ourself, we would not, and never did, hesitate to feast upon phea-
sants at all seasonable times, and often with a full knowledge of
their craws being stuffed with the leaves of laurel, provided we
were satisfied that the birds had been lately killed or that they
had been drawn soon after being shot.
The pheasant roosts on the ground in the thickets, or by the
side of a tree, old log, or stump, and not unfrequently, as the par-
tridge, makes a short flight previous to settling down for the night.
ENEMIES.
The pheasant, as well as the partridge, has many enemies in-
dependent of man. Polecats, weasels, raccoons, opossums, foxes,
crows, &c., all prey, when an opportunity offers, either upon the
eggs or the young birds. The weasel attacks the old birds on
their roosts, and the fox does not hesitate to pounce upon them
when feeding. The larger species of hawks also destroy them;
and none are more fatal in their attacks upon all kinds of birds
than the red-tailed and Stanley hawks.
<" DELICACY OF THEIR MEAT.
The flesh of the ruffed grouse is white, and is considered far
more delicate and juicy than that of the prairie-hen, which is dark.
We most cheerfully subscribe to this opinion, and doubt very much
whether we have any game-bird superior to the ruffed grouse in
point of excellency of flavor. Some of our readers, perhaps, will
differ from us in this assertion. However, we assure them that we
could make many converts to our opinion, provided they were
willing to act on our hints for cooking them, as detailed under
THE PHEASANT. Vor
another head. Much depends upon the science of the cook for
the delicacy of all game; but in no kind of game is the superiority
of cooking shown more than in the serving up of pheasants, which
may be rendered as tough and dry as a chip or as delicate and
juicy as a reed-bird. It is no unusual thing to receive English
game on this side of the water during the winter months in perfect
condition. A few days since we dined* off both English pheasants
and grouse, brought out by one of our steamers; both were in
excellent order. The meat of the English pheasant is white and
the flavor very similar to that of our bird,—more juicy, perhaps; but
we could not, or, it may be, would not have perceived any difference
in the flavor, had we not been previously informed that they
were English birds. They are larger than the American species.
The grouse were larger than our prairie-hen, the tetrao cupido,
and the meat dark and very juicy.
MODES OF SHOOTING.
Several plans are resorted to for obtaining a supply of pheasants
for the markets of Philadelphia and New York. Many are caught
in nets and nooses, others in traps, and numbers are shot down
by being decoyed into ambuscades by trails of grain laid on
the snow. These birds are extremely wary, except when pushed
by the cravings of hunger, when they become more bold and ven-
turesome. In districts where they are hunted after, it requires
great caution and perseverance on the part of a shooter to bag
them. When suddenly come upon, they often squat and lie
close till you have passed by, when they spring up and make off
at a tremendous speed. They generally take to the thickest
cripples, or perch themselves in the highest forest-trees, so buried
in the foliage that it is impossible to get sight of them, and there
remain perfectly motionless till all danger has passed. Shoot-
ing grouse, where they are not too scarce, is very lively sport, but
is usually attended with great toil, more especially in the vicinity
* At the kind invitation of our friend, Andrew Staley, Esq.
2 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
of long-settled districts, when the sport is generally precarious
and uncertain. If a grouse is missed after being sprung, it is
seldom that we can get a second shot, as they are extremely wary,
and will not let the sportsman again come sufficiently near to
insure a fatal coup-de-fusil. The young birds fly very short dis-
tances, and hardly ever rise higher than the tops of the laurels,
where they are most frequently met with. .
When pheasants are raised on the declivity of a hill, they dive
apparently for its base, but, after going a short distance, usually
turn off in another direction; and by this trick, as it may be called,
they are very apt to mislead the inexperienced shooter.
Audubon denies the commonly-received opinion that several of
these birds can be shot from the same tree without disturbing the
others, provided you commence with the lower ones first and pro-
ceed regularly up. He states that, after repeated trials, he never
succeeded, except in some very few instances, when there was a
heavy fall of snow; and even then he only obtained three or four in
this way. In the winter season, when the snow is very deep and
soft, pheasants, when hard hunted, will occasionally bury them-
selves in it, or rather dive into it, and emerge again at a few paces
in advance.
During the drumming season, these wary birds can be decoyed
from a considerable distance by imitating this peculiar noise, which
may be done by striking a large inflated bullock’s-bladder with a
small stick, being cautious to preserve, as far as possible, the
marked time in which the cock bird beats. The ruffed grouse being
naturally so shy and retiring in its habits, it is not strange that it
should not lie well to a dog; and we do not know exactly what
suggestions to offer on this point, as we have never had much
experience in the sport, and very few of our shooting friends are
sufficiently au fazt in the matter to give us much useful information.
Those worthies who shoot for the markets generally go after them
accompanied by a small mongrel terrier, or cur, which is taught to
range through the thickets and brushwood that these birds usually
haunt. He gives voice as freely and as lively as a well-trained
THE PHEASANT. 153
cocker would do, and, by following after the bird, designates its
course, or, perhaps, stopping under some tree where the game has
pitched, betrays it to the shooter. This latter is called “ treeing
pheasants.’’ Many of these apparently worthless little curs are
very fond of this sport, and, by practice, become wonderfully expert
in the business, and will often discover pheasants where no other
eye could distinguish them. They are also at times taught to
retrieve, and will pursue a wounded pheasant with a perseverance
and courage that would often put the owners of the finest dogs to
the blush. A dog of this kind, to a shooter for the markets, is
worth his weight in gold, in a neighborhood where these birds are
plenty; and so one of them expressed himself to us, when extoll-
ing the qualities of his ugly little brute, a short time since. And
well he might brag upon the merits of his shooting companion, if
he could perform one-half of the deeds attributed to him; for, in
a word, he was a capital watch-dog, a good-natured playfellow
for his children, a superior pheasant-dog, a courageous ducker, an
excellent pigger, unequalled ratter, fair on snipe, and useful on
partridges, &c.
If a setter be used for pheasant-shooting,—and he certainly is
far preferable to a pointer for this sport,—he should be old and
steady, and contented with a point at twenty or even thirty feet,
as it is almost impossible for a dog to make a nearer approach,
even in the closest cover, as these wild birds are constantly on the
alert, and will make off at the first intimation of danger, either
by taking wing or running. LHarly in the season, however, when
grouse are young, they will lie much better, and are always in fine
condition for the table, owing to the great abundance of wild fruit
which they can obtain. The cocker, spaniel, and springer, as stated
in our edition of Youatt, are, no doubt, the proper dogs with which
to hunt this game. When the presence of grouse is suspected, great
caution and absolute silence are necessary to approach them, as it
is a singular circumstance, but nevertheless a well-established
fact, that grouse will bear the presence of a dog, or even the
report of a gun, much better than they will a single sound of the
154 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
human voice,—the truth of which any one can test whenever an
opportunity offers for him to raise them when pointed by his dog.
A single word spoken will always be sufficient to do it.
SNARES, ETC.
Many pheasants are snared and entrapped by the same means
resorted to in taking partridges; and we may safely say that full
one-half of the birds brought to market are obtained in this way,
and not by the gun. Pheasants, when feeding, resemble the wood-
cock in one particular; and that is, their intolerable aversion to
clamber or fly over any trifling obstruction which may be placed in
their course through their feeding-grounds; and this singularity is
taken advantage of by the country-boys, who place a barrier
across their haunts, a foot or more high, with small openings at
short distances apart, set with horsehair snoods, as before de-
scribed, and thus take large numbers in the course of the season.
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MEMORANDA.
1. The ruffed grouse, or, as we have consented to call it, the
pheasant, is found im all the wild and mountainous districts of our
country, from the most northern latitudes as far south as Georgia.
2. They are called partridge in the Eastern, pheasant in the
Middle, and grouse in the Southern States. There are no phea-
sants, properly speaking, in America.
3. These birds commence pairing in March and April. The
nest usually contains from five to twelve eggs.
THE PHEASANT. 155
4, The cock pheasant is not faithful to one mate alone; neither
does he assist in incubation, or in the care of the brood. They
associate together in small bands till the young are full-grown,
when they all pack indiscriminately together.
5. The cock bird attracts the attention of the hen, and allures
her from her nest, by making a peculiar noise, termed drumming.
6. At the drumming season they are very pugnacious, and fre-
quent battles take place among the males at this time.
7. The prevalent opinion that the flesh of the pheasant becomes
poisonous by partaking of the leaves and berries of the mountain-
laurel is all fallacious, and may without hesitation be classed
among the list of vulgar errors.
8. Pheasants are partial to wild strawberries, dewberries, whortle-
berries, &c.—in fact, all kinds of fruit: their flesh is white, and
far more delicate than that of the prairie-hen.
CHAPTER IX.
PINNATED GROUSE, OR PRAIRIE-HEN. TETRAO CUPIDO.
«Hurrah for the prairie! No blight on zts breeze,
No mist from the mountains, no shadow from trees,’’
DESCRIPTION.
HIS species of grouse is very different in
many respects from the last-mentioned
variety. Its appearance, habits, flesh,
are all quite dissimilar, and we regret
never having had very full opportunities
for studying these interesting birds in
their natural haunts,—the rich prairies
of the Far West. However, we, as many
others, have this pleasure still in anticipation, and in the mean time
will endeavor to lay before our sporting friends all the information
upon this head which we have culled from reading and conversing
with those who have been in the habit of hunting these birds for
156
THE PRAIRIE-HEN. Assi
years past, and trust, at all events, that we shall succeed in
making this chapter as interesting as some others which we have
compiled for the benefit of sportsmen.
Wilson thus describes this bird:—The pinnated grouse is nine-
teen inches long, twenty-seven inches in extent, and when in good
order weighs about three pounds and a half; the neck is furnished
. with supplemental wings, each composed of eighteen feathers, five
of which are black and about three inches long, the rest shorter,
also black, streaked laterally with brown, and of unequal length ;
the head is slightly crested; over the eye is an elegant semicir-
cular comb of rich orange, which the bird has the power of raising
or relaxing; under the neck-wings are two loose pendulous and
wrinkled skins, extending along the sides of the neck for two-
thirds of its length, each of which, when inflated, resembles in
bulk, color, and surface, a middle-sized orange; chin cream-
colored; under the eye runs a dark streak of brown; whole upper
parts mottled transversely with black, reddish-brown, and white ;
tail short, very much rounded, and of a plain brownish soot-color;
throat elegantly marked with touches of reddish-brown, white, and
black; lower parts of the breast and belly pale brown, marked
transversely with white; legs covered to the toes with hairy down
of a dirty drab-color; feet dull yellow, toes pectinated; vent
whitish ; bill brownish horn-color, eye reddish-hazel. The female
is considerably less; of a lighter color, destitute of the neck-
wings, the naked yellow skin on the neck, the semicircular comb
of yellow over the eye.
LOCATION.
The prairie-hen was, no doubt, at one time widely disseminated
over our whole country, more particularly in those portions inter-
spersed with dry, open plains surrounded by thin shrubbery or
scantily covered with trees. Unlike the ruffed grouse, this bird
delights in the clear, open prairie-grounds, and will desert those
districts entirely which in the lapse of time become covered with
forests. These birds are very rare—in fact, may almost be con-
158 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
sidered extinct in the Northern and Middle States. Within a few
years they were quite abundant on some portions of Long Island.
They were also to be found in Burlington county, New Jersey,
and in some few other places. There are, however, still a few to
be found on the Jersey plains, and every season we hear of some
of our sporting acquaintances exterminating a small pack. We
know of ten braces being killed this season, (1848,) and about the
same number last year, by the same party; and, as usual, in both
instances these scarce and beautiful birds were butchered long
before the time sanctioned by the strong—or rather the weak—arm
of the law.
Thus it is that the destructive hand of the would-be respectable
poacher, as well as the greedy gun of the pot-hunter, hastens to
seal the fate of the doomed prairie-hen in these Eastern regions;
and we may predict with great certainty that ere long not one will
be found save upon the rich plains of the West; from which, also,
in course of time, they will be driven, and ultimately perish, root
and branch, from before the unerring guns of their ruthless de-
stroyers. We understand that there are still a few of these birds
to be found in Pennsylvania, we believe in Northampton county,
where the pine forests are thin and open, and the country about
them such as prairie-hens delight in. They have always been
abundant in the barrens of Kentucky and Tennessee, as also in
the balmy plains and fertile prairies of Louisiana, Indiana, and
Illinois. So numerous were they a short time since in the barrens
of Kentucky, and so contemptible were they as game-birds, that
few huntsmen would deign to waste powder and shot on them. In
fact, they were held in pretty much the same estimation, or rather
abhorrence, that the crows are now in Pennsylvania or other of
the Middle and Southern States, as they perpetrated quite as much
mischief upon the tender buds and fruits of the orchards, as well
as the grain in the fields, and were often so destructive to the crops
that it was absolutely necessary for the farmers to employ their
young negroes to drive them away by shooting off guns and spring-
ing loud rattles all around the plantations from morning till night.
THE PRAIRIE-HEN. 159
As for eating them, such a thing was hardly dreamed of, the
negroes themselves preferring the coarsest food to this now much-
admired bird; while the young sportsman exercised his skill in
rifle-shooting upon them, in anticipation of more exciting sport
among the other prized denizens of the plain and forest. Prairie-
chickens have not only deserted Long Island, Martha’s Vineyard,
Elizabeth Island, New Jersey, and their other haunts to the east-
ward, but they have also removed even farther west than the bar-
rens of Kentucky, and are no longer to be found abundant save in
Illinois, and on the extensive plains of the Missouri, Arkansas, and
Columbia Rivers.
PERIOD OF PAIRING.
. As soon as the winter breaks up, the pairing season commences,
generally in March or early in April; then it is that one can dis-
tinguish the well-known booming sound of the male bird, known as
the ‘‘tooting”’ of the cock. This singular noise is produced by the
inflation and exhalation of the two small bags which are found on
the neck, and appear to be formed by the expansion of the skin of
the gullet, which, when not filled with air, hangs in loose, pendu-
lous, wrinkled folds.
Audubon remarks :—‘‘ When the receptacles of air, which, in
form, color, and size, resemble a small orange, are perfectly in-
flated, the bird lowers its head to the ground, opens its bill, and
sends forth, as it were, the air contained in these bladders in dis-
tinctly-separated notes, rolling one after another from loud to low,
and producing a sound like that of a large muffled drum. This
done, the bird immediately erects itself, refills its receptacles by
inhalation, and again proceeds with its ‘tootings.’”’
This ‘‘tooting” can be heard at times as far off as a mile, more
particularly on a clear, mild morning. If the air-cells be punc-
tured with a small, sharp instrument of any kind, they cannot, of
course, be again inflated, and the “‘tootings,’’ consequently, are at
an end.
These birds, like the ruffed grouse, are extremely pugnacious at
160 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
these times, and during the early period of incubation the males
meet at early dawn at particular spots termed “ scratching-
grounds,” where they toot and strut about with extended wings
and wide-spread tails, much in the pompous style of turkey-gob-
blers; and, after a little while thus spent in expressing their wrath
and defiance, they engage in the most obstinate and sanguinary
conflicts, not inferior to the battles often witnessed between game-
cocks.
During these encounters, they spring up in the air and strike
their antagonists with the utmost fury, and oftentimes with the
greatest effect; feathers are freely plucked from each other’s
bodies, and their eyes are not unfrequently seriously injured be-
fore one or other of the combatants gives way and flies to the
woods for shelter. A friend of the author, who is very familiar
with the habits of these birds, informs him that last spring he wit-
nessed, for over an hour, a series of battles between a number of
these birds upon a favorite “‘deat, or scratching-ground,” and de-
clares that, after they had all retired, he might have picked up a
hatful of feathers which they had torn from one another.
The nest is formed upon the ground, in a very secret spot upon
the open plain, or perhaps at the foot of a small bush. It is rudely
constructed with a few leaves and particles of grass, and contains
from eight to twelve eggs of a brownish dirt-color, and somewhat
larger than those of the Tetrao umbellus. The prairie-hen sits
eighteen or nineteen days.
The birds are able to run a very short time after hatching, and
the mother alone attends upon them, supplying them with food,
calling them around her by a cluck, and nestling them under her
wings at nightfall or when the weather proves unfavorable, very
much in the style of the common barn-hen. When the young
leave the nest the hen separates from her mate. The pinnated
grouse is not so retiring and secluded in its disposition as the other
variety, and is not very difficult to domesticate even when taken
wild, as it soon becomes tame and accustomed to the presence of
man.
THE PRAIRIE-HEN. 161
Audubon cut the tips of the wings of sixty of these birds towards
the close of the summer, and turned them out into an enclosure,
where they remained quite contented the whole winter through,
and soon became sufficiently gentle to feed from the hands of his
wife. They appeared quite unmindful of their former state of
freedom, and conducted themselves very similarly to the tame
fowls, with which they often mingled on the most friendly footing.
In the spring, they “‘tooted’’ and strutted about in the most pom-
pous style imaginable, even as much so as if they were still in their
native haunts, and even coupled and hatched many broods. Their
“ pugnacious tempers would not permit them to quail even before
the threatening presence of the largest turkey, and they would not
unfrequently take a round or two with the dunghill-cocks of the
poultry-yard. The pinnated grouse, as the other variety, hatch
but one brood each season, except when disturbed, as they are fre-
quently, by the crows, hawks, polecats, raccoons, and other ani-
mals. When wandering about with their young, if interrupted,
they resort to the same artifices as the partridge to protect their
young. ‘Their food consists of seeds of the sumach, grapes, grain,
wild strawberries, cranberries, partridge-berries, whortleberries,
blackberries, and young buds. They also partake of worms,
grasshoppers, flies, and insects generally. In the winter season
they eat acorns, the tender buds of the pine, clover-leaves, and,
when convenient to their haunts, will frequent buckwheat and
other stubbles.
They are said to remain stationary during the whole year round,
and show no disposition to migrate or travel, as the ruffed grouse
or partridge. They affect the dryest situations, and avoid as far
as possible marshy or wet places, and partake very sparingly of
water; in fact, depend entirely for a supply of this fluid from the
morning dew, which they collect from off the leaves of plants.
So dry are the situations which these birds generally frequent, that
it is absolutely necessary to carry water along for the dogs; other-
wise, they will soon be entirely overcome by thirst.
11
162 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
FLIGHT.
If surprised, the pinnated grouse rises with a moderate whirring
sound; but, if they discover the sportsman at a distance, they run
off with the utmost speed, then squat and remain perfectly silent
till passed by or put up by the dog. Their flight is strong, regu-
lar, and tolerably swift, and at times, according to Audubon, pro-
tracted to several miles without intermission. They fly less rapidly
than the ruffed grouse, and often repeat two or three cluckings
when about to spring or when on the wing; they also frequently
take to the branches of the highest forest-trees, and, if then shot,
they fall and turn round and round with great violence, not unlike
a common chicken, till dead. If slightly wounded only, they run
with great swiftness, and hide themselves in some secluded spot,
where they remain motionless.
FEEDING AND ROOSTING.
Prairie-chickens resort to their feeding-ground at a very early
hour of the day, and retire towards noon to preen and dust them-
selves in the ploughed fields or along the roads, and do not come
out again till late in the afternoon.
They do not, as a general thing, roost on trees, but, like the
partridge, they select a little eminence of ground in the open field,
and squat about within a few feet of each other; at all events,
such is their usage during a greater portion of the year.
When the several broods have united and formed packs, they
are said to resort to the trees and fences to roost, which habit they
continue till the following season of pairing.
THE PRAIRJE-HEN. 163
TIME FOR SHOOTING.
The pot-hunter who shoots for the markets hunts these birds
long before the broods are well grown; the real sportsman, how-
ever, does not think of going after them before the middle of Au-
gust, when the young birds are so large that it is even difficult to
tell them from the old ones, save by their bills and feet.
The various broods remain separate and distinct till the latter
part of September or early in October, when they unite together,
forming packs in many instances containing several hundred.
As observed under the following heading, prairie-hens are not
much esteemed during the winter months, and consequently are
not generally sought after by the epicurean sportsmen, who deem
it but just and right that our game should be killed only at those
periods when it is in its best condition.
THEIR FLESH.
The comparative merits of the meat of these two varieties of
grouse are often a subject of discussion among sportsmen and
epicures, whose opinions are often entirely at variance. We know
very well that the tastes of people are much influenced by circum-
stances, and we are all apt to relish that most which it is most
difficult to obtain; and the residents of those parts where prairie-
hens are abundant, as a matter of course, generally prefer the white
and delicate meat of the ruffed grouse, while those that live in the
Atlantic States, and seldom or never see a prairie-hen, greatly
prefer the dark meat of the latter bird, as it is to them a greater
novelty and luxury than the other. They are considered a great
delicacy at the East, and, when exposed for sale, command extra-
vagant prices,—seldom less than five dollars a brace; although we
have purchased superior ones in the Philadelphia markets for two
dollars, and even less.* We do not think them equal, by any
* The price of these birds, since the opening of the various direct avenues to
the West, is very much reduced, and will continue so till the Eastern demand
causes them to be exterminated at all accessible points.
164 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
means, in point of flavor to the ruffed grouse. We should re-
member, however, that the flesh of the prairie-chicken is far more
tender and juicy during the months of August and September
than at any subsequent period. We at the eastward, therefore,
seldom if ever partake of them in their best condition, as the
weather is then too warm to admit of their transportation.
At this time the flesh of the prairie-fowl is also light-colored,
whereas in the winter season, when we usually receive them from
the West, it becomes very dark, and is but little esteemed by those
accustomed to hunt them.
OTHER VARIETIES.
There are other varieties of grouse found within the limits of
the United States, two of which we will merely mention. They
are occasionally met with in the wilds of Maine and Massachu-
setts, but are more common in Canada. Their haunts are very
secluded, and they seldom encounter the form of a human being,
and consequently are not much alarmed at his presence. Their
flesh is dark, and resembles that of the prairie-hen :—Tetrao saliceti,
willow grouse; and Tetrao Canadensis, the spotted or Canada
grouse.
THE PRAIRIE-HEN. 165
MEMORANDA.
1. The prairie-hen is now almost exclusively confined to the
open champaign countries of the West.
2. Their habits and modes of life are very different from those
of the ruffed grouse ; the one seeking the seclusion of the deepest
forests, while the other delights only in the open plains.
3. The time of pairing, period of incubation, number of young,
and habits of male birds, all much the same as the ruffed grouse.
4. The cock birds at the pairing season are heard ‘‘tooting’’ in-
stead of ‘“‘drumming;”’ they are very pugnacious, and fight with
great spirit among themselves during the period of courtship.
5. Unlike the ruffed grouse, the pinnated are easily domesticated,
and will pair and hatch in captivity; they exhibit no disposition to
migrate, as the other variety does.
6. Their meat is dark, and inferior to that of the ruffed grouse.
CHAPTER X.
THE WOODCOCK. SCOLOPAX MINOR.
‘“Hiein! At that glad word away they dart,
And, winding various ways, with careful speed
Explore the cover. Hark! that quest proclaims.
The woodcock’s haunt.”
THE CLAIMS OF THE WOODCOCK.
HAT bird is there in the catalogue of
the American sportsman which surpasses
the woodcock, whether we consider the
beauty of its plumage, its general con-
tour, the richness and delicacy of its
meat, or the pleasure derived from shoot-
ing it? Sportsmen eagerly pursue this
interesting and noble bird in every quarter
where he makes his appearance, and ex-
perience more gratification in the display
of a couple of woodcocks than they would in the triumphant exhi-
166
THE WOODCOCK. 167
bition of double or treble the same number of partridges, or any
others of the feathered tribe. There seems to be something pecu-
liarly attractive to the true sportsman in the very appearance
of this bird; for how often do we observe him examine with de-
light the long and slender bill, variegated plumage, tapering legs,
and large, mellow black eyes of each innocent victim, before con-
signing him to the game-bag, and even exhibit more than ordinary
care in smoothing down and arranging his ruffled and bloody
feathers.
We, with the rest of shooters, both American and English, are
quite an admirer of this bird, and derive more satisfaction from
killmg a few couples of them than we do in the slaughter of a
multitude of rails or a fair proportion of partridges. Why we
have this feeling we will not pretend to explain; but we know that
we have it, and have noticed it in others, and have more than
once watched, with some degree of astonishment, the eagerness
with which most of our friends seek to bring down a solitary wood-
cock, that perchance is seen to flutter across their path when in
pursuit of other game, and, if successful, they always evince more
self-satisfaction than if they had bagged two or three brace of par-
tridges. In England, where these birds are much less plentiful
than they are with us, ‘‘cock-shooting”’ is highly prized—in fact,
is considered by many as the “‘fox-hunting”’ of shooting; while
all lovers of the dog and gun regard a good day’s woodcock-shoot-
ing as the very ne plus ultra of sport; and Watts, in his versifica-
tion of field-sports, thus cautions the anxious shooter when in quest
of this game :—
“‘Have patience; recollect my words:
A couple of these precious birds
Yield more delight to sportsmen true
Than any other game can do.”
These doggerel lines, though they do not in themselves make
any great pretensions to the chaste harmony of poesy, are, never-
theless, sufficiently expressive to show the estimation of this bird
in the eyes of the English gentry.
168 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
THE NOMENCLATURE OF THE WOODCOCK.
The nomenclature of the woodcock, like that of most other of
our game-birds, is somewhat confused, being known in various sec-
tions of our country under the different appellations of mud-snipe,
blind snipe, big-headed snipe, marsh-plover, and woodhens. The
latter title, however, is not often applied to this bird, except by
the over-fastidious and scrupulously chaste huckster-women of our
market-houses.
DESCRIPTION.
The male woodcock is ten inches and a half long and sixteen in
extent; bill, brownish flesh-color, black towards the tip; the upper
mandible ending in a slight knob, which projects one-tenth of an
inch beyond the lower, two inches and a half long, and grooved;
forehead, line over the eye, and whole lower parts reddish tawny;
sides of the neck inclining to ash; from the fore part of the eye
backwards, black, crossed by three narrow bands of brownish-
white; back and scapulars deep black, each feather tipped or
marbled with light brown and light ferruginous, with numerous
fine zigzag lines of black crossing the lighter parts; quills, plain
dusky brown; tail, black, each feather marked along the outer
edges, drab-color above, and silvery-white below; lining of the
wing bright-rust; legs and feet a pale-reddish color; eye very full
and black, seated high and very far back in the head; weight, five
ounces and a half, sometimes six.
““The female is twelve inches long and eighteen in extent,
weighs eight ounces, and differs also in having the bill very nearly
three inches in length; the black on the back is not quite so in-
tense, and the sides under the wings are slightly barred with
dusky.”
COMPARED WITH THE ENGLISH VARIETY.
This bird is considerably smaller than the foreign variety; in
fact, weighs fully one-third less, seldom exceeding six or nine
THE WOODCOCK. 169
ounces; while the ordinary weight of the English cock is never
less than twelve or fourteen ounces, and two are mentioned by
writers as having been killed weighing sixteen and seventeen
ounces respectively. We have never met with an American bird
heavier than nine and a half ounces, save in one instance, although
we have been induced to test the weight of many birds of our own
shooting, as well as those exposed in the markets, that seemed to
us remarkably fine specimens and perhaps above the usual stand-
ard in point of size, but have generally been disappointed in the
results; for they have seldom reached eight ounces. <A seven-
ounce bird makes a fine show, and must be full-grown, and in good
condition, to weigh this much. We shot a very fine cock last
season that weighed over ten ounces, and it now adorns our
cabinet.*
The plumage of these two varieties is also considerably different,
and the flesh of the American bird is pronounced superior in rich-
ness and juiciness to the English.
ONE SPECIES ONLY.
Many of our sporting friends believe that there are two species —
of woodcocks indigenous to America,—a large and a small variety.
This, however, is not the case, but an error—and a very natural
one—arising from the great disparity in the respective sizes of the
male and female bird. The latter, strange to say, is much the
largest, and not unfrequently weighs two, three, and even four
ounces more than the male bird.
HABITS OF WOODCOCKS.
The habits of woodcocks are very interesting, and in some mea-
sure mysterious. They are migratory, and extend their journey-
ings as far north as the Canadas and as far south as Florida.
* G. D. Wetherill, Esq., informed us, a few days since, that a gentleman sent
him, a year or two ago, a woodcock that weighed fourteen ounces, which was shot
in New Jersey, and it was his intention to have had it mounted, but; owing to the
negligence of the party who brought the bird, it was too far gone before he re-
ceived it.
170 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
They breed and rear their young throughout the Middle and
Northern States, and at the approach of winter move off to the Far
South, in quest of the rich and loamy soil of those temperate
climes. Notwithstanding the greater mass of these birds migrate
south, there is but little doubt that numbers of them remain in
Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Delaware, during the whole winter
through, as it is no unusual circumstance to shoot an occasional
cock at all periods of the cold weather in these States. arly in
the spring, woodcocks abandon their winter-quarters in the South,
and betake themselves to the Northern States for the purpose of
incubation; some few, however, it is not unlikely, remain in the
higher elevations and marshy solitudes of the South the whole
‘summer through, and there accomplish those promptings of nature
which impel so many of their brethren to seek the cool alder-swamps
of the Far North.
FORMATION OF THE HEAD.
The formation of the head is somewhat remarkable, and is a
striking peculiarity of the woodcock. It is large and triangular.
The large, prominent black eyes, set far back in the temples, a
considerable distance from the bill, give it rather a strange but
bold and expressive appearance; and there are few pictures more
pleasing to the eye of a sportsman than the sight of a startled
woodcock just on the point of springing, or rather when in the
attitude of fear, arising from the stealthy approach of the shooter.
Notwithstanding woodcocks possess such beautiful large eyes, their
vision in full day is very incomplete; in fact, they are incapable
of supporting a glaring light, and consequently see much better
in the twilight than at any other time.*
Woodcocks are essentially night-birds, and remain concealed,
during a greater portion of the day, in secluded thickets, or hid
* M. T. W. Chandler, Esq., informs us that he knew of two instances in which
woodcocks flew in bright day against a brick dwelling and were killed.
These two facts are of themselves sufficient to prove the imperfect vision of this
bird in the daytime, or they certainly would not have made such a mistake in their
course.
THE WOODCOCK. 171
away in the rank tussocks of the marshes, and only feed freely in
the open grounds at early dawn or towards sunset. This will be
seen more particularly when we come to speak of the habits of
these birds along the ridges of the Southern rivers. When favored
by moonlight, woodcocks wander about in search of food during
the whole night, and at such times, like rails, become very fat.
We do not pretend to assert that woodcocks feed only during the
hours of twilight or moonlight, but that, from the peculiar position
and construction of their eyes, they are far better calculated to
move about at these times than any other.
The darker and more dense the covert, the better is it suited for
the haunt of woodcocks, as, their eyes being so very large and
set so far back in the head, they are enabled to collect every faint
ray of light which penetrates through the thickest and most en-
tangled foliage; and in such places they may be seen running
about and feeding during the bright sunshine.
There is no bird of which country-people are more ignorant
than of the woodcock, as they are seldom seen by any except those
who go in quest of them in their wet and often dreary haunts; and
the confiding and inquisitive sportsman will often be led astray if
he listens to the silly reports of our agriculturists respecting them,
and perhaps find himself on the track of a company of sandpipers,
woodpeckers, or other less dainty and interesting birds.
FOOD.
This timid and unsocial occupant of our woody delves and rank
marshes does not, as is erroneously supposed by many, live by means
of suction; but their food is composed of worms and several spe-
172 LOWIS' S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
cies of larvee, which they find concealed under the leaves and turf
of the thickets, as well as in the open bogs. Some sportsmen
assert that when cocks are feeding they strike their long bills into
the soil, and then, raising their bodies high on their feet, they open
their wings and flutter round and round until they have sunk their
bills sufficiently far into the ground to reach their prey. We do
not know positively whether cocks perform these rather singular
gyrations, or, more artistically speaking, “pirouettes,” but must
confess that we are rather dubious on the subject, as, with our
liberal opportunities of observing the habits of game-birds, we
have never yet been able to discover a woodcock thus employed,
although on one occasion in particular we watched a couple feeding
for more than an hour, and only noticed them dexterously turn
over the withered leaves, and every now and then probe, with the
greatest facility, the rich loamy soil with their long slender bills.
We are inclined to believe that this report of the feeding of the
woodcock is more the result of imagination than of actual observa-
tion, like many other vulgar errors respecting natural history. It
is possible, however, that these birds might be tempted to resort to
some such process as the above to enable them to bury their
slender bills deep into the earth in some particular spots where
the soil is extremely dry; but, unfortunately for the support even
of this hypothesis, woodcocks are never found in such places, and
even if they were, they could not hope to extract from such a soil
their usual food, no matter how deep their pirouetting might enable
them to bore. We would, however prefer abandoning entirely this
fanciful idea, and should not perhaps have given it as much
attention as we already have, had we not found the subject re-
ferred to by a very respectable writer of our country, who seems,
from his remarks, to give some credence to the report.*
The American cock, without doubt, feeds in the same way
as the European variety, and which is minutely described by a
close observer, who had a fair opportunity of studying the habits
* We refer to the remarks of J. S. Skinner, Esq., on this head.
THE WOODCOCK. is
of these interesting birds, in the aviary of St. Idephonso, in
Spain.
‘“‘There was,” says Mr. Bowles, ‘‘a fountain perpetually flowing
to keep the ground moist, and trees planted for the same purpose;
fresh sod was brought, the richest in worms that could be found.
In vain did the worms seek concealment when the woodcock was
hungry; it discovered them by the smell, stuck its bill into the
ground, but never higher than the nostrils, drew them out singly,
and, raising its bill into the air, it extended upon it the entire
length of the worm, and in this way swallowed it smoothly, with-
out any action of the jaws. The whole operation was performed
in an instant, and the motion of the woodcock was so equal and
imperceptible that it seemed doing nothing. It never missed its
aim: for this reason, and because it never plunged its bill beyond
the orifice of the nostrils, I concluded that smell was what directed
it in search of food.”
With the foregoing quotation we will dismiss the subject, trust-
ing that some of our friends may yet enlighten us if they should
ever catch a woodcock engaged in these evolutions.
THE BILL.
The bill of the woodcock is well supplied with nerves, and is so
extremely sensitive to the touch that few worms can hope to
escape its searching explorations, if within two or three inches of
the surface of the soft earth into which they delight so much to
bore. Woodcocks are very greedy, or rather we should say vora-
cious, birds, and are both vexatious and difficult to keep in a state
of captivity, owing to the trouble consequent upon obtaining a
sufficiency of their usual food for them. An English writer ob-
serves of this bird:—‘‘A woodcock in our menagerie very soon
discovered and drew forth every worm in the ground, which was
dug up to enable him to bore; and worms put into a large garden-
pot, covered with earth five or six inches deep, are always cleared
by the next morning, without one being left. The enormous quan-
tity of worms that these birds eat is scarcely credible; indeed, it
174 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
would be the constant labor of one person to procure such food for
two or three woodcocks. The difficulty of procuring a sufficiency
of such precarious aliment determined us to try if bread and milk
would not be a good substitute; and we found that by putting clean
washed worms into the mess, the bird soon acquired a taste for
this new food, and will now eat a basin of bread and milk in
twenty-four hours besides the worms it can procure.”’
We quote these remarks in support of our assertion as to the
voracity of these birds, and also for the information of any one
who may have a fancy to keep one of them, either as a pet, or for
the more laudable purpose of observing its habits. This singular
voracity on the part of woodcocks is no doubt one of the principal
causes of the unsocial and solitary lives which the whole species
seem to prefer, as no one spot, however rich in worms or larve, is
capable of producing sufficient food for any length of time for
more than one of these greedy cormorants.
INCUBATION.
Woodcocks begin laying in April, sometimes much earlier: the
nest is formed in a very artless manner, generally composed of a
few dried leaves or small portions of grass, and situated at the foot
of an old stump or tussock, within a copse or thick wood. It
usually contains three, four, or five brown-spotted eggs, over an
inch long. The period of incubation is about the same time with
the partridge—three weeks; and the young leave the nest a short
time after escaping from the shell, but are not by any means as
expert at running as young partridges, it being no uncommon cir-
cumstance to catch young cocks, but very difficult, on the other
hand, to make captive a young partridge, even when only a day
or two old.
At this season of the year the male bird is said to perform, at
times, more particularly about early dawn, some very singular
manceuvres: rising by a kind of spiral course to a considerable
height in the air, uttering a sudden or sharp “quack,” till, having
gained his utmost elevation, he hovers round in a wide, irregular
THE WOODCOCK. 1s)
manner, making a sort of murmuring sound, and then descends
with the same rapidity that he arose. This movement, accom-
panied by the short, discordant note or ‘‘quack,”’ is the call of the
male to his favorite female.
We must not forget to mention one other peculiarity of these
birds, and that is the somewhat extraordinary habit they have of
carrying their young on their backs from place to place. We have
never been so fortunate as to see a woodcock adopt this novel mode
of conveyance for her young, and must confess that we are rather
skeptical on the subject, although we have heard it from others
who have witnessed it,—at least, they told us so, and of course we
could not doubt their word, though we might have thought of the
‘“traveller’s privilege.” Notwithstanding the improbability of the
whole affair, it is well supported by the assertions of Viellot, in
his Galérie des Otseauz, for he states that such is the fact, and,
moreover, that he has seen them do it “‘plustewrs fois.”
Many persons believe that woodcocks raise two broods each
season. Whether or not this is the case in the Northern States, it
is difficult to say; we do not doubt, however, that such is often the
fact, when circumstances exist similar to those that drive the par-
tridge to a second incubation. ‘Frank Forester’ expresses him-
self quite positively on this point, and we know no one in whose
opinions upon such matters we ought to place so much confidence,
as this accomplished sportsman has certainly had ample opportu-
nity, as well as inclination, to ascertain such interesting facts,
176 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
He says:—‘‘ The ordinary number at a hatching is four birds, and
if the first brood gets off early the parents immediately proceed
to a second incubation, the male bird in this case taking care of
the first brood until the second gets off, when all associate together
until the moulting season, when all ties are dissolved, and they
know thenceforth neither kindred nor kindness.” If the season
is very forward and mild, woodcocks’ nests may be found even as
early as March or perhaps the latter part of February.
TIME FOR SHOOTING COCKS.
If the weather continues favorable during the breeding season,
many young birds are large enough, throughout the Middle States,
to shoot in July, but many more half-grown ones will be found.
If we could hope to exert any influence over the shooting pro-
pensities of the sporting community, we would advise them to
abstain from hunting these birds till late in September, or rather
October, when their age and increased size render them not only
a savory dish for the table, but the rapidity of their flight insures
them some chance of escape from the ever ready gun. No sports-
man can take any particular credit to himself for the wholesale
slaughter of young cocks during the month of July, as at this time
many of their victims can scarcely fly over a few yards, and might
as well be knocked down with a long pole as fired at with a gun.
However, both custom and the laws have sanctioned the barbarous
habit of shooting these birds at a much earlier period than October ;
in fact, have given license for their destruction when only half
fledged, and when, perhaps, the old birds are still engaged in the
hatching or rearing of a second brood. By the passage of these
injudicious enactments, our State legislators actually adopt and
encourage a certain plan to render this species of game, as well as
other kinds, nearly extinct throughout the country, in the course
of some few years. All we might say upon this subject would
avail but little, without the cheerful assistance of more wise
legislation. We therefore pass it by with these few observations
to all intelligent and liberal sportsmen, trusting that no gentleman
THE WOODCOCK. ay
who follows the sports of the field as a manly and noble pastime
will henceforth be so recreant to the cause of humanity, and so
blind to the high duties of the craft, as to be seen with a gun in
his hand, at all events, in the month of June, in quest of the feeble
young cocks.
At this early period all will acknowledge that woodcocks are
under the parental care, and generally are too weak to raise their
tender limbs above the tops of the lowest thickets, and not unfre-
quently they drop dead from mere fright on the discharge of the
fowling-piece.
Such conduct on the part of shooters who ought to know better
is disgraceful in the extreme; and we cannot understand what
pleasure can be derived from killing these miserable little birds
one moment before the time set apart for their destruction, as they
are too small and insipid for the table even in July; and honorable
sportsmen should not take any pride in doing that which they are
forced to do by stealth, as is necessarily the case if they go after
them in the latter part of June. Every day—nay, every hour—
of existence is of the utmost importance to woodecocks at this
period of the year: the destruction of a single old one may involve
the loss of a whole brood of young ones, which, if a few days older,
would have been able to take care of themselves. We know of
several sportsmen in our city who are in the habit of slipping off a
few days before the close of June, to have, as they term it, ‘the
first crack at the cocks; and we hope that their eyes may meet
with these remarks, and that they may relish them in the right
spirit and mend their ways accordingly.
The law does not sanction the shooting of these birds, in our
Northern States, before the fourth of July; and it would have been
far better if the framers of those legal enactments had prolonged
the term of prohibition through the months of July and August.
Some sportsmen, in justification of their wanton amusement, will
tell us, no doubt, that cocks are a migratory and uncertain bird,
and if we do not kill them in the summer we may not have the
opportunity of doing it in the autumn, as they will abandon their
12
178 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
old feeding-grounds for the Far South, or other spots equally re-
mote. This is not the case; for-woodcocks, as before mentioned,
remain with us till the cold weather sets in, and if they were not
slaughtered in such immense numbers during June and July we
should have an abundance of them in the months of September and
October. But the fact is, they are nearly all killed during these
months, and the few which are left unharmed have become so wild
and cunning that they are difficult to be got at. We all know that
it is no very unusual thing for even a tolerable shot to bag fifteen
or twenty couples of young cocks in the course of one day’s shoot-
ing; and well may he do it, and make a brag of it besides, when
he goes after birds which may be shot on their nests, or are bemg
led about by their anxious parents in quest of food.
The game-laws of most of our States are a ‘“‘mere bagatelle,”’
that no one regards; in other words, they are all a dead letter, as
there are no appointed agents intrusted with the care of them,
and there are few if any persons willing to take upon themselves
the trouble and responsibility of enforcing them, or calling wilful
offenders to account for their many misdeeds. Hundreds of trans-
gressors consequently escape year after year, unwhipped of justice,
until at last they lose sight of the law, if there be any, entirely,
and stalk boldly over the country, destroying game in season and
out of season, just when it suits their fancy or inclination. Why
do the inhabitants of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and
other States, allow those reckless shooters, just let loose from the
purlieus of our cities, to overrun their grounds and kill woodcocks
two or three weeks before the time allowed even by law? Is there
no one among the respectable and worthy agriculturists of those
States possessing sufficient energy or moral courage to make a few
examples of these lawless fellows, who sally forth to destroy these
noble birds for mere wanton amusement, as the most of them are
unsuitable for eating, or any other good purpose, at this early
season ¢
Legislation most assuredly sanctions the ‘slaughter of cocks”
at a sufficiently early day, and every shooter should discounte-
THE WOODCOCK. 179
nance, both by precept and example, the barbarous habit of going
after them one hour before the appointed time, as every moment
of existence, both to the old and young bird, is of immediate con-
sequence. Many old birds are yet sitting on their nests; while
hundreds of young ones are running about, too feeble to take care
of themselves, and consequently soon perish if deprived of the
protection of their parents. Some of our farmers are fond of
shooting, and really enjoy the sports of the field in a fair and
legitimate way; and we are astonished that these do not interest
themselves so far in this matter as to have the prohibitory time for
cock-shooting extended beyond July; for under the present regu-
lations they can never hope to enjoy this sport, as they are always
too much occupied during this month in housing their crops to
think of devoting any portion of their time to cocking, and the
birds are pretty much all killed before their leisure hours come
round.
We do not wish to stir up any unfriendly strife between the
farmers and citizens; there is already too much jealousy existing
on kindred subjects between them; but, at the same time, we do
not hesitate to declare that we have no objection to see the
former assert their just rights, and maintain them in all matters
of this kind, provided they are influenced by a proper spirit.
There are, however, many headstrong and selfish farmers in our
rural districts, who put us very much in mind of the far-famed
fable of the Dog in the Manger, as they neither have a desire or
fancy to kill the game themselves nor will they permit any one
else to do it. No one, we conceive, has a better title to game
generally than the farmer, as it is on his ground that the birds are
bred and reared, and it is from the rich gleanings of his stubble-
fields that they thrive and grow fat.
We would, therefore, respectfully urge the farmer-sportsman to
have the enactment regarding cock-shooting changed; for, as it
now reads, it is framed only for the benefit of the city shooters.
And, when changed, we would also impress upon him the necessity
of seeing it duly enforced.
180 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
INGENUITY OF THE HEN IN CONCEALING HER YOUNG.
The hen woodcock, like the partridge, exhibits great ingenuity
in her efforts to conceal her young and to draw off the sportsman
or his dog from the spot occupied by the nest, or, perhaps, little
brood. She flutters along the ground, dragging her body heavily
after her, as if wounded and incapable of flight, until the dog
is nearly on her, when she makes off again to a short distance
and repeats the same manceuvres as before. When she has suc-
ceeded in enticing her pursuers a considerable distance from the
starting-point, she suddenly takes wing, greatly to the surprise of
all, and flies off in beautiful style, and in a very short time returns
by a circuitous route to the spot where she abandoned her off-
spring.
THE WOODCOCK. 181
WHERE TO FIND COCKS.
‘¢ Startled by the report, a woodcock springs
From the low marsh, flitting with nimble wings:
In vain he flies; he feels the fatal lead,
Curves flapping down, and falls with pinions spread.”
These birds, as before observed, delight in a wet, loamy soil,
and are seldom or never found in the upland districts, but most
frequently locate themselves along the marshy willow and alder-
borders and extensive flats of our rivers. They also secrete them-
selves in the dense thickets of underbrush along the margins of
smaller streams, or hide themselves in the rank grass and luxu-
riant fern of our wet meadow-lands. In fact, wherever there is
good boring-ground and a certain degree of seclusion, there will
be found woodcocks in the month of July, many or few, according
to the nature of the soil and the favorable or unfavorable state of
the breeding season.
When there has been a long continuance of dry weather, it is
quite useless to examine light and open coverts or sparse woods
in quest of cocks, as at such times they will be found either on
the open wet bottoms, if such spots can then be met with, or more
likely in the deep, impermeable thickets and entangled brakes,
where the ground seldom or never entirely loses its moisture. On
the other hand, when the weather has been extremely wet for
some days, woodcocks will betake themselves to the hill-sides or
elevated grounds, as they are not by any means partial to too
much water, although a certain degree of moisture is absolutely
necessary for their very existence. When the weather begins to
get cool, they may also be found in the open woody glens or clear-
ings, enjoying, as it were, the mild warmth of the autumn sun, as
the feeble rays from time to time pierce the sparse foliage of the
overhanging trees, or actively engaged boring in the mossy banks
of the warm rills which so often spring up from such sheltered situa-
tions. In sections of the country where these birds resort, we
can scarcely visit a spot of this kind early in October without
182 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
finding a couple or so of cocks, provided the ground is not too often
overrun with shooters.*
Still later in the season they may be met with in the more deep
and sheltered wood-swamps, where the insects, larve, and earth-
worms, protected in a measure from the biting frosts of more
exposed situations, are enabled to remain near the surface during
the severest weather. Here it is that the sportsman will discover
the perforations or borings of this lonely bird.
The warm and almost impenetrable cedar-swamps are also
favorite resorts for such woodcocks as remain in the North during
the cold weather, as the springs in such situations seldom freeze,
and there is always to be found a scanty supply of suitable food
even in the depths of winter. These birds, however, like the
snipe, are very uncertain in their movements, being governed a
good deal by the state of the weather and the consequent condition
of the soil in their natural haunts for boring.
Woodcocks are very abundant in Jersey and Delaware, particu-
larly after a dry spell of weather, as they congregate there from
the interior of the country and spread themselves over the wide
extent of meadow-lands and marshy cripples so congenial to their
habits, and which are so general in the lower portions of these
States. Cock-shooting in these districts is as laborious as snipe-
shooting, if not more so, especially if pursued—as is, we may say,
universally the custom—during the oppressive hot weather of
July and August. In wandering over these extensive marshes,
or, aS they are vulgarly called, mashes, it is necessary for the
* Our friend, M. T. W. Chandler, Esq., mentioned to us a few days since, in course
of conversation, that he had noticed that cocks are seldom or never found in the
swamps of an iron-district. He also stated that he considered their absence from
such places owing to the general acidity of the soil, which always, in these iron
regions, contains a large proportion of oxygen; a fact, by-the-by, well known to
all intelligent farmers, who always spread quantities of lime on such places, to
sweeten the soil, as they say, and make it in a condition to produce. We know
from our own observation that but few or no worms can be found in these sour
marshes, and the vegetable products themselves are coarse and ill-flavored.
Mr. Chandler also states that cocks are rare in the coal-regions, owing, no doubt,
to the noxious gases that oftentimes are generated in such soils.
THE WOODCOCK. 183
sportsman to exercise considerable dexterity in stepping from
tussock to tussock; otherwise he will often be doomed to a sud-
den plunge into the filthy oozes that surround him on every
side. ‘The excessive heat of the weather is another strong objec-
tion to the shooting of woodcocks in the month of July, as the
temperature is often so oppressive that the birds will spoil in the
course of a few hours after being shot, and, in some instances,
even before leaving the field for the day. As for hoping to keep
the birds over a day or two, to carry home, such a thing is quite
impossible, and the sportsman, consequently, is forced to throw
them away sometimes when only a few hours old, if he cannot
procure ice to pack them in, which article, by-the-by, is not always
to be had in the country.
We have noticed, with sentiments of sorrow, a very prevalent
but at the same time very unfortunate ambition on the part of
many of our sporting friends,—to boast of quantity rather than
quality of game killed.
This braggart feeling should be at all times discouraged and
reprobated among gentlemen, as quantity is not by any means a
safe test for a superior shot, neither is it the just criterion of an
accomplished sportsman. But, on the other hand, quantity not
unfrequently goes to prove that he who claims this distinction has
been more eager, more greedy, more selfish, than his companion, and
perhaps less courteous and gentlemanly in the field than he should
have been. This foolish ambction as regards quantity is often dis~
played in its most deplorable form in the wanton and reckless de-
struction of young woodcocks, which, as before observed, are shot
by hundreds when too feeble to save themselves by flight, when too
young to afford suitable food for the table, and under circumstances,
oftentimes, when these desolators of our fields and forests know
full well that they can make no use of them. How mortifying,
how degrading, in the eyes of humanity, that such a cruel, reck-
less, and thoughtless propensity for the taking of life should exist
in our very midst,—should be encouraged by the example of some
of those with whom we daily associate,—and even be discovered
184 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
lurking in the breasts of men whom, in our ordinary intercourse
with the world, we would fain pronounce amiable, humane, and con-
siderate! We agree with Mr. Skinner when he remarks that “a
great fault in sportsmen is the ambition of killing for quantity,
which occasions them to protract their hunt until many of the
birds are spoiled by the heat and delay. The sportsman should
have a spice of chivalry in his composition; he should not be
merely a wanton and reckless destroyer. He should always spare
the hovering bird, and confine his efforts to others, to the number
he can carry in order to his home, for his friends or himself. I have
known this pernicious system of shooting for quantity pursued on
the grouse, and, to gratify the false pride of killing more than any
other party, the time protracted until all the birds killed on the
first day were spoiled and had to be thrown away. You should
raise your voice against this growing and vicious ambition, and
establish it as a rule among sportsmen, that credit should be given
only for such game as each returned with in good order.
‘¢ Our Indians look upon this habit of the whites with the utmost
horror. ‘He kills and wastes,’ say they, ‘without object; and riots
over life as if it were a thing of no value. The game vanishes
from his desolating path, and the ground is covered by his destroy-
ing hand with that which he does not mean to use. ‘The boun-
teous gifts of the Great Spirit are the mere objects of his wanton
destruction.’ We should redeem ourselves from this just reproach,
and infuse some prudential consideration and moral feeling in our
hours of sport.”’*
* We are glad to observe that the supervisors of our public squares are disposed
to encourage the presence of squirrels and birds within these enclosures, by afford-
ing them the necessary protection from the many thoughtless and inconsiderate
‘youth who frequent these places of resort. They have also very latterly permitted
the introduction of some beautiful peacocks, that seem already contented and quite
at home in their new quarters.
The habitual presence of the numberless birds that now build their nests, rear
their young, and enliven our parks with their melodious strains,—the presence of
the ever-welcome, lively, and frolicksome squirrels which will soon abound in these
safe retreats,—the presence of the elegant, graceful, and gorgeous peacock, as he
struts majestically about over the greensward, will have perhaps a far more ex-
THE WOODCOCK. 185
Few, we think, can expect to derive much real pleasure or bene-
fit from the exposure consequent upon a cock-shooting expedition,
exposed as they are, for hours together, not only to the burning
rays of a July sun, but also to the inhalation of the poisonous
gases that are always engendered in these miasmatic situations
during the summer months. These two circumstances alone,
independent of any other reasons, ought to be sufficient to pre-
vent any sensible sportsman from entering into the amusement at
this season of the year. However, the temptation to go after
woodcock at this time, we must acknowledge, is often very strong ;
and we are not surprised that but few can resist it, particularly
when the law encourages it, and almost every one hears his sport-
ing friends around him boasting of their great success and wonder-
ful deeds the day previous.
DISAPPEARANCE OF WOODCOCKS.
During the period of moulting—the latter part of August and
the month of September—woodcocks disappear, or are said to dis-
appear, for a short time, from their usual haunts, and retire either
tended, a far more beneficial influence over the community than the city fathers at
first supposed or intended. ;
May we not confidently hope that their presence in these places will engender
in the bosoms of our youth a better appreciation and a more becoming respect for
these lowly but still very interesting objects of creation ? will foster and cultivate
the kindlier feelings of the heart? will give rise to and encourage a love for the
beautiful and a taste for the study of natural history, and perhaps do more than
any other plan could towards crushing, as it were, in the very germ, that disposi-
tion to kill and destroy which unfortunately is so characteristic of American youth?
186 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
far north, entirely out of the reach of our sportsmen, or con-
gregate, as has been asserted by many, on the wild and rugged
hills of the mountain-ranges, and there live a life of deep seclu-
sion and indolence during this annual sickness. We have heard,
and even read, much upon this disputed point, as to the where-
abouts of these birds at this time, and have come to the conclusion
that they do not all follow the same biddings of nature, but that
some remain closely concealed in their old grounds, others, per-
haps, go far north, and many betake themselves to the high
grounds of the interior. By the expression of this opinion we are
sure not to go far astray from the truth, and at the same time we
do not compromise ourselves, or offend the peculiar doctrines of
any sportsman upon this subject, as we freely confess our belief,
or rather partial belief, in nearly all the theories yet advanced.
In the getting up of this work for the benefit of sportsmen, we
wish them all to look upon us more in the light of a compiler than
of an author, as our great aim has been to collect from all and
every source the greatest amount of information to elucidate the
various subjects under discussion, not relying solely upon our own
experience and observation, but culling a little here and there from
every one that chance or design threw in our way.
It is not an unusual circumstance to find cocks in the wet and
rich cornfields during the moulting season. Here they frequently
escape the notice of sportsmen, who, by-the-by, generally have a
repugnance to hunt in these places, not only on account of the
disagreeable walking, but because it is no easy matter to shoot
birds when the corn is standing two or three feet higher than one’s
head, for the moment the cock is up he is out of sight. We would,
however, advise all inquiring shooters to hunt out every moist
cornfield that comes in their way at this season, and they will
soon be satisfied of the truth of our assertion. In saying this,
however, we do not wish to be understood as aiding and abetting
the hunting of cocks at this time, for we heartily disapprove of it,
even more than we do the shooting of them in July, as they are
now in a measure diseased, and not at all suitable for the table;
THE WOODCOCK. 187
but we advise the exploration of the cornfields by the inquiring
Sportsman or naturalist, for the confirmation of our statement
regarding the habits of these birds.
However, when we take into consideration the immense slaughter
of cocks during the month of July, it is not very hard to account
for their scarcity during the following month, even if it were not
the season of moulting; and we see no reason why we should be
racking our brains to account for their disappearance.
FLIGHT OF WOODCOCKS.
The flight of young cocks is slow and regular, and seldom pro-
tracted in a cripple to a greater distance than fifty yards. They
merely skim over the tops of the reeds or bushes, and drop sud-
denly and heavily to the ground, with a kind of impetus that sends
them running forward several yards.
In July, young cocks are very tender and easily killed, one or
two small pellets being quite sufficient to bring them down. Later
in the season, having gained strength and muscle, cocks fly with
much more vigor. They may then be seen darting off, with a shrill
piping note, in sharp and rapid zigzags, even over the tops of the
highest trees; and it requires the steady hand and piercing eye of
the long-practised shooter to stop them in their headlong career.
When found on the open grounds and meadows, it is easy enough
to shoot woodcocks; but it is quite another affair in the high woods
and thickets, as they rise, not unfrequently, in an almost spiral,
perpendicular direction, twisting and turning with such rapidity
that they gain the tops of the trees and dart off before they can be
fully covered even with the sharpest eye and readiest hand.
FIRE-HUNTING OF COCKS.
There is a mode of taking woodcocks in Louisiana, which is
practised, perhaps, in no other section of the country; it is termed
“fire-hunting,’ and was, no doubt, introduced by the French
population of those parts. A full description of this sport, from
the graphic pen of T. B. Thorpe, Esq., will be found in Porter’s
188 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
republication of “Hawker.” Fire-hunting is almost entirely con-
fined to a narrow strip of country running from the mouth of the
Mississippi up the river about three hundred miles. Woodcocks
resort in great numbers to the interminable swamps of this region,
and, according to Thorpe, even remain in these solitudes during
the spring and summer months, to breed and rear their young.
It is perfectly useless for the sportsman to attempt the pursuit of
cocks in these fastnesses, overrun as they are with deep and matted
grass, high cane, and rank vines. Although many cocks remain
in these marshes during the warm weather, still, the greater num-
ber of them go off to the North for the purpose of incubation, and,
at the approach of winter, return with increased forces to pass the
cold months in these secure and favored spots. It is then that the
‘‘fire-hunting”’ takes place, and continues during the months of
December, January, and February. Though the marshes at this
time are crowded with these quiet and secluded birds, it is almost
impossible for the shooter to get a sight of one of them; and this
fact, together with their immense numbers, is perhaps a palliation
for the unsportsmanlike practice of ‘“ fire-hunting.”
The sport is carried on in this wise:—The shooter, armed with a
double-barrelled gun, and decked with a broad-brimmed palmetto
hat, sallies forth on a foggy night to the ‘‘ridge,” where the cocks
are now feeding in wonderful numbers. His companion on these
expeditions is generally a stout-built negro, bearing before him a
species of old-fashioned warming-pan, in which is deposited a goodly
supply of pine-knots. Having arrived on the ground, the cocks
are soon heard whizzing about on every side; the pine-knots are
quickly kindled into a flame, and carried over the head of the negro.
The shooter keeps as much as possible in the shade, with his broad-
brimmed palmetto protecting his eyes from the glare, and follows
close after the torch-bearer, who walks slowly ahead. The cocks
are soon seen sitting about on the ground, staring wildly around
in mute astonishment, not knowing what to do, and are easily
knocked over with a slight pop of the gun, or more scientifically .
brought to the ground as they go booming off to the marshes.
TUE WOODCOCK. 189
The lurid glare of the torch only extends to a distance of twenty
yards or so around the negro; the sportsman must, therefore, be
on the quiz vive to knock the birds over as soon as they rise, other-
wise they will immediately be shrouded in the impenetrable dark-
ness of night.
These excursions are carried on with great spirit, sometimes con-
tinue the whole night through, and the slaughter of cocks is often
very great; with an experienced “fire-hunter” it is no unusual
occurrence to bag in this way fifty couple before morning. This
plan of taking woodcocks is very similar to that pursued ages ago
by the fowlers of England, and is termed “‘dird-batting.”’ Instead
of the gun, they made use of nets to throw over the birds, and
bludgeons to knock them down whenever a favourable opportunity
presented itself. It was also deemed very necessary in these
“<bird-battings’ for the torch-bearer to ring a loud bell without
intermission, as its sound at the dead hour of the night was thought
to bewilder or stupefy the birds to such an extent that they became
transfixed to the ground, and therefore offered an easy mark for
the fowler. If the ringing of the bell was for a moment discon-
tinued, the birds were very apt to arouse themselves from their
lethargy, fly off, and consequently frustrate the fowler’s designs.
NETS AND SNARHS.
Formerly, when cocks were much more plentiful in England than
they are at present, multitudes were taken in glade and spring-nets,
which were hung in the moist places where their ‘marking and
meutings were observable.” These birds are very loath, while
feeding, to pass over any obstruction that may lie in their way,
but would rather pursue a confined and tortuous path than turn
190 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
from their course for the purpose of scrambling over the slightest -
barrier that may obstruct their progress.
This peculiarity of woodcocks has been taken advantage of by
the fowlers and poachers of England, who are said to place their
nets between the tufts of heath, with avenues of small stones
formed on each side, leading up to them, and by this contrivance
are successful in taking great numbers. They are also captured
by these gentry by means of horsehair nooses, set about in their
feeding-grounds, similar to those referred to when speaking of the
partridge.
Woodcocks are quite abundant in Ireland, and numbers of the
English nobles resort there annually to shoot them. It is usual to
hunt them in this country with the assistance of men and boys,
termed ‘“‘springers,”’ who penetrate into the thickets and woody
glens, hallooing and beating the bushes on every side, so as to
flush the astonished cocks from their close retreats. The sports-
men, while this is going on, move about in the clearings, and watch
every opportunity to knock the poor birds over as they endeavor
to escape from one cover to another.
This method of killing cocks, no doubt, is quite exciting, but
cannot compare with the regular way of hunting them with dogs,
and would not be resorted to by English sportsmen except ex
necessitate ret.
DOGS FOR COCK-SHOOTING.
Cocks lie well to dogs, and, if their habits of life did not force
them to select such inaccessible places to feed, they would afford
as much sport as partridges. If cocks were left undisturbed during
the summer months, and not hunted till October, we should have
plenty of them at this agreeable season, and certainly in much
better condition. The English derive much more pleasure from
cock-shooting than we do in this country, as the whole charm of
this pastime is destroyed with us by the barbarous custom of shoot-
ing the old ones in the months of June and July, when sitting on
their nests, and frightening the young ones to death by the roar
THE WOODCOCK. 191
of guns, placed in the hands of every awkward booby that can
raise sufficient means to purchase a few pounds of shot.
Cock-shooting in England, some of our readers will be surprised
to learn, is most generally pursued with the aid of cocker spaniels.
We are content to hunt them with our setters and pointers, many
of which are celebrated for their skill and prowess in finding this
game. It is particularly necessary that dogs used for cock-shoot-
ing should be very stanch, and not over eager, otherwise they will
soon be lost to view in the coverts and brakes which these birds most
generally frequent, and flush bird after bird without ever being
seen or corrected for it. .
As for attempting to shoot woodcocks to half-broken spaniels, we
should consider such an undertaking too laborious and tormenting
to venture upon, although, with good cockers, we can easily imagine
that the sport must be much more spirited and enlivening than
when pursued with setters and pointers. Cockers, from their size,
are much better adapted by nature to the pursuit of this game than
either the setter or the pointer, which latter cannot insinuate them-
selves into the recesses of our briery coverts, no matter how well-
disposed for the sport they may be, but are forced to back out of
such impassable places, where the courageous little cocker would
glide through without suffering the least inconvenience from the
thorns and briers.
It is not unusual, in England, to attach small, plaintive bells to
the collars of dogs hunting woodcocks, so that their exact position
may be known. This practice is a very good one, and, when the
covert is very thick, will save the sportsman much hallooing and
whistling. When used for pointers and setters, the silence of the
bell will announce the point of the dog. The tinkling of the bells,
if light and melodious, will not disturb the birds, but rather en-
liven the gloom and dulness of the woody glens, and add new spirit
and life to the sport. i
The bells should be of different tones, so as tc distinguish the
dogs from each other. We are satisfied that the use of bells could
be made very advantageous in partridge-shooting, in some sections
192 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
of our country, more particularly early in the season, when the
coverts are so very thick. We would recommend to those having
a fancy to try them, to put a small ring to the dog’s collar, to
which they might attach the bell by means of a spring-hook, simi-
lar to those now so generally used for fastening the guard-chain to
the vest button-hole. Arranged in this way, the bell can be re-
moved or put on at a moment’s notice, according to circumstances.
We are certainly an admirer of the little cocker spaniel, and
would advise gentlemen, more particularly those residing in the
country, who pursue shooting as a pastime, and not for the mere
wanton gratification of bagging large quantities of game, to try
their hands with these active little creatures, as we are sure they
will be delighted with their boisterous and exciting style of hunt-
ing, giving subdued tongue when on the scent of game, and then
bursting forth with joyous acclamations when the bird is flushed
and on the wing.*
Tf the reader should ever be so fortunate as to possess a cocker
spaniel to whom he can, in good faith, address the following four
lines of an epitaph, he may consider himself thrice fortunate
indeed :-— :
‘¢ Alike the woodcock’s dreary haunt,
Though keen to find amidst the shade,
Ne’er did thy tongue redoubled chant,
But mark quick echoed through the glade.”
* For the tuition and management of spaniels, see our edition of Yowatt on the
Dog.
THE WOODCOCK. 193
MEMORANDA.
1. The male bird is much smaller than the female; the former
usually weighs from five to six ounces, the latter from six to eight.
2. The American woodcock is much smaller than the English.
3. There is but one variety of woodcock in America.
4. Woodcocks are migratory, and extend their wanderings from
the Canadas even as far south as Florida.
5. Their food consists of worms and larve, and they are all
voracious feeders.
6. Woodcocks breed in the North, and commence laying, if the
weather is favorable, even as early as February. The period of
incubation is about three weeks.
7. Woodcocks moult in August and September, and at this time
they lie very close.
8. Woodcocks frequent moist places, and are seldom met with in
other situations.
CHAPTER XI.
WILSON’S, OR ENGLISH SNIPE. SCOLOPAX WILSONII—SCOLOPAX
GALLINAGO.
‘To-day we spring the snipe,
And, with an eye as keen as does the bird
Himself, by hungers’s strongest law compell’d,
Explore each shelter’d drain or hollow ditch.”
THEIR DISTRIBUTION OVER THE WORLD.
HERE is no game-bird so widely dis-
tributed over the whole world as the
species now under consideration. They
are found in all countries, from the ex-
treme points of Siberia even to the utter-
most limits of the South. The West
India Islands, as well as Ceylon and
Japan, are annually visited by this little:
fowl, while the rice-plantations of the Carolinas and the fertile
meadows of Egypt alike swarm with their multitudes. So nume-
rous are these birds in the rich country of the Pharaohs, that it is
194
WILSON’S SNIPE. 195
no unusual thing, after the harvest of rice, to sit quietly in one place
and shoot a large basketful of them im the course of a few hours.
Snipes are equally esteemed in all parts of the world where they
are known, and the richness and delicacy of their flesh may be
considered as second alone to that of the woodcock; we need not
add, therefore, that hunting them is a favorite pastime with the
American sportsman.
VARIETIES.
There are several game-varieties of snipes known in the Old
World, and all equally sought after by sportsmen; there are also
many species in our own country, but only one that attracts much
attention from our shooters. In Russia there is a large snipe which
occasionally wanders as far as England, and is known there, we
believe, as the horseman’s snipe, from its superior size and fine
appearance. This bird affords much sport to the Russian noblesse,
as well as a savory dish for their tables. The double, or solitary
snipe, (Scolopax major,) although quite rare in England, is very
common in Sweden; it is nearly twice as large as the common
snipe, and offers attractive amusement to the inhabitants of that ;
country, who pursue field-sports with as great zest as the sports-
men of our own country. The Scolopax gallinago, or English
snipe of America, is closely allied to the common snipe of the Old
World; it resembles it in plumage, size, and habits; a little differ-
ence, perhaps, may be conceded to the latter variety in point of
weight. The observant Wilson, in his usual style of close investi-
gation, discovered a very marked distinction between the English
and American bird; and, in consideration of this discovery, Tem-
minck and other European naturalists have very justly dedicated
the American snipe to this distinguished ornithologist, by bestow-
ing upon it the title of Scolopax Wilsonii, or Wilson’s snipe,—a
compliment not less deserved than generously awarded. Wilson
states that the American snipe has the same soaring, irregular
flight in the air, during gloomy weather, as the snipe of Europe;
the same bleating note and occasional rapid descent; springs from
196 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the marshes with the like feeble “squeak,” and in every respect
resembles the common snipe of Britain, except in being about one
inch less, and in having sixteen feathers in the tail instead of four-
teen. Audubon, however, informs us that the notes of the two
varieties are quite dissimilar,—in fact, as different from each other
as those of the American crow and the carrion-crow of Europe,
and expresses some surprise that Wilson should not have men-
tioned this difference.
Frank Forrester, on the other hand, observes that the ery of
the two varieties is perfectly identical, and in this statement he
further remarks that he is corroborated by the judgment of several
English sportsmen, with whom he has frequently shot.
This snipe is known in Britain as the common snipe, snite, or
heather-bleater, and with us is called English snipe, or Wilson’s
snipe. In Louisiana, the Creoles term it cache-cache, the deriva-
tion of which, we imagine, arose from the well-known retired or
lurking habits of the bird.
“The snipe is eleven inches long, seventeen inches in extent;
the bill over two inches and a half long, fluted lengthwise; brown
color; black towards the tip, crown black, divided by an irregular
line of pale brown; another broader one of the same tint passes
over each eye; from the bill to the eye there is a narrow dusky
line; neck and upper part of the breast pale brown, variegated
with touches of white and dusky; chin pale; back and scapulars
deep velvety black, the latter elegantly marbled with waving lines
of ferruginous, and broadly edged exteriorly with white; wings
plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as those of the coverts,
tipped with white; shoulder of the wing deep dusky-brown, exterior
quill edged with white; tail-coverts long, reaching within three-
quarters of an inch of the tip, and of a pale rust-color, spotted
with black; tail rounded, deep black, ending in a bright ferru-
ginous bar, crossed with a narrow waving line of black, and tipped
with whitish; belly pure white; sides barred with dusky lines;
legs and feet a very pale ashy-green; sometimes the whole thighs
and sides of the vent are barred with dusky and white. The
WILSON’S SNIPE. 197
female differs in betmg more obscure in her colors; the white on
the back being less pure, and the black not so deep.”
THEIR LOCATION AND FOOD.
The snipes of America spend the winter in the Southern States,
resorting to the ricefields of the Carolinas, where they often con-
gregate in immense numbers, and are said to be quite tame com-
pared with what they are when they stop with us at the North on
their way to more elevated districts for the purpose of breeding.
Audubon states that in the South he has seen them in fifties and
hundreds in small fields of a few acres in extent. They are also
numerous in the wet swamps of Florida during the winter season,
but move off at the first approach of spring, tarrying on their way
to the North, for a few days, in the various sections of country
which they pass through. They arrive in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
and Delaware, in the month of March, according to the state of
the weather, but are not often abundant till the following month
of April.
Like most other migratory birds, they are quite poor when they
first arrive among us, but soon become extremely fat from feast-
ing upon the profusion of animal as well as vegetable food that
they find scattered over the extensive marshes of these States.
Their nourishment consists principally of worms and larvee, which,
like the woodcock, they extract from the rich, loamy soil by boring
into it with their long and slender bills. It was formerly very
generally believed by sportsmen, and others who pretended to a
knowledge of such matters, that snipes, as well as woodcocks,
-supported themselves by suction. This, of course, is as erroneous
in the one case as in the other. These birds also partake of the
tender roots of aquatic plants, and in captivity will feed greedily
upon corn-meal and worms, and after a few trials will also learn to
relish bread and milk:
In the spring season the snipe performs some very singular
manceuyres, not very unlike those that are noticed in the wood-
cock during the period of incubation. If the sportsman should,
198 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
at early dawn, or even at mid-day, visit the low meadows fre-
quented by these birds, he will probably see one or both of a pair
mounting high in the air in a spiral manner, beating their wings
or sailing around in rapid circles, until they have gained a hundred
yards or more in height; then, clasping each other, they whirl
around, flapping their wings with great velocity, and then, drop-
ping in mid-air, give utterance to a low twittering or rather roll-
ing sound, supposed to be produced by the action of the wings
upon the air in their rapid descent. We have seen them perform
this manceuvre more than once, but at no other period of the year
than the spring. : .
Towards the close of April, if the weather continues warm,
snipes desert the oozy marshes of Delaware and New Jersey and
commence moving farther north, where they spread themselves
throughout the interior of the upland countries for the purpose of
breeding and rearing their young. They are most generally
mated when they take leave of these parts. Like other nomadic
birds, a few of them, owing to one peculiar circumstance or an-
other, remain with us in the low marshy fallows during the whole
summer, and even hatch and rear their young broods. It is no
very uncommon circumstance for our shooters to kill an occasional
young snipe, as well as old ones, when in pursuit of cocks in the
months of July and August.
In the month of May, 1846, while wandering in company with
Mr. E. Lewis over his extensive estate in Maryland, we sprang a
Wilson’s snipe from the midst of an oatfield, and, being surprised
as well as attracted by its singular manceuvres, we made search for
its nest, which we soon found, with four eggs in it. The situation
selected for incubation could not have been better chosen in any
portion of country, as it was on a rising piece of ground, with a
southern exposure, and protected in the rear by a large wood, and
at the foot of this high ground was a considerable extent of low
marsh-meadow, watered by a never-failing stream, along the
borders of which the anxious parents at any time could obtain a
bountiful supply of food.
WILSON’S SNIPE. 199
PERIOD OF INCUBATION.
In the State of Maine and other portions of the country far
north, snipes are very numerous during the summer months.
They are also abundant in the Canadas and Nova Scotia, but are
not known in Newfoundland or Labrador. In these northern
latitudes, snipes inhabit the marshy portions of the hilly districts,
as the spots most secure and favorable for incubation. The nest is
constructed in a most simple manner,—being, in fact, nothing more
than a hollow made in the moss or grass, lined, perhaps, with a
few feathers. The brood generally consists of four, and, like the
young of the woodcock, are capable of motion as soon as sprung
from the eggs. At this tender age, owing to the softness and
delicacy of their bills, the young snipes are unable to probe the
slimy bogs for worms, and therefore are forced to content them-
selves with collecting the larvee, small insects, and snails, that are
found on the surface or hid away in the grass or moss. At the
expiration, however, of a few weeks, they are sufficiently strong,
and thei bills quite hard enough, to penetrate into the moist
grounds in search of more savory food.
RETURN TO THE SOUTH.
Snipes commence returning to the South in the month of Sep-
tember, accompanied by their young, and of course stop for a
while in all their old haunts along the route. They remain during
200 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
several weeks in New Jersey and Delaware, and get very fat while
feeding on the marshes. Although they most frequently appear
very suddenly and in large numbers in certain localities, they are
not gregarious, but perform their migrations singly, or in very
small wisps, seldom exceeding four or five.
The flight of the snipe, even when going to a considerable
distance, is very irregular and devious; they must, however, fly
with rapidity, as they spread themselves over so wide an extent of
country in so short a space of time.
Snipes are, without doubt, very fickle and uncertain in their
movements, resorting in great abundance to certain spots on one
day, and entirely abandoning them on the following, without any
apparent cause, save perhaps a trifling change in the wind or
weather. They seem to possess a restless spirit, which impels
them to seek on one day the high and open grounds, and on the
next the low and sheltered marshes. The presence of a slight and
almost imperceptible frost, or the springing up of a northeasterly
wind during the night, influences the wanderings of these birds at
early dawn; and their sudden appearance at or absence from cer-
tain localities is often a source of astonishment to the shooter, who,
luxuriating on his downy couch, dreams of the morrow’s sport,
little heeding the insidious mutation in the elements that drives
the sensitive snipe from the favored feeding-grounds of the pre-
vious day, and thus frustrates all his bright anticipations.
The snipe family in general has very justly been pronounced the
most meteorological of all birds, for their appreciation of atmo-
spheric changes is certainly very remarkable, and far beyond
that of any other of the feathered tribe. Their perception of cold
or moisture must be exquisitely nice, far beyond any thing which
we can form an idea of, as their abrupt shiftings from place to place
are governed, we presume, in many instances, by the variations in
temperature which are scarcely discernible to the sportsman. For
we cannot attribute these sudden rovings on their part to any
other cause than those alterations in the atmosphere, unless we
believe that they are solely the result of a capricious disposition,
WILSON S SNIPE. 201
which oftentimes induces them to abandon the very best of feed-
ing-grounds to go in quest of like spots elsewhere; and this to us
appears a very unnatural as well as untenable supposition.
Snipes, like woodcocks, are most voracious feeders, and require
an immensity of food, and consequently are obliged to shift their
ground much more frequently than many other kinds of birds.
This circumstance alone is quite sufficient in most cases not abso-
lutely dependent upon the weather to account for their erratic
propensities. When feeding in situations where there is a plenti-
ful supply of food, it is often a very difficult task even for the
most zealous sportsman to drive them off; and we have more than
once been quite surprised at their apparent tameness, as indicated
by their short flights after repeated harassing over some one of
these favored feeding-grounds.
In all their peripatetic vagaries snipes are seldom or never found
in the woods, but delight in the low, wet meadow-lands, or along the
margins of the secluded streams which are so numerous through-
out our country; they may occasionally be found in the cornfields,
more particularly if the weather is rainy, as well as in the thin
woods and even briery thickets, but they do not frequent these
situations except under peculiar conditions of the atmosphere.
DIFFICULT TO BE SHOT.
The flight of the snipe, together with its shyness during its
sojourn at the North, and the disagreeable nature of the ground
that it alone frequents, renders it the most difficult as well as the
most fatiguing and vexatious of birds to hunt. When sprung, it
takes wing very hastily, and flies off in rapid zigzag lines for a’
few paces, in such a confused, irregular, and tortuous course that
it is almost impossible even for a snap-shot, during this time, to
cover the bird for an instant while performing these elliptical
gyrations.
Snipe-shooting, not only in England but also in our own coun-
try, may very justly be pronounced the “crux jaculatorum”’ of
sportsmen, as there is no game which requires more skill and judg-
202 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
ment in bringing to bag, or demands a greater share of labor and
perseverance to follow. A sporting writer—no great admirer of
this diversion, however, we imagine—remarks that “‘snipe-shooting
is a pastime the best calculated (grousing excepted) to try the
keenness of the sportsman, to ascertain his bottom, and if he can
stand labor, water, mire, swamps, and bogs. He should be pos-
sessed of a strong constitution, not liable to catch cold, and have
all the fortitude as well as exertion of a water-spaniel; he should
be habitually inured to wet, dirt, and aeMie and not be de-
terred by cold or severe weather.”’
This statement, although a little overdrawn, is not far wide of
the real truth, as every snipe-shooter knows full well; and, when
entering on the sport, each one should be willing to repeat within
himself, Audax omnia perpett. Notwithstanding the numerous ills
attendant on this recreation, it has many ardent admirers, who, in
spite of wind and weather, cold and rain, mud and mire, are at each
succeeding spring and autumn found ready at their posts, all
eagerness to commence the fray; and, at the close of every season,
each one has a long list of adventures to relate, not, perhaps,
‘‘Of moving accidents by flood and field,
Of hairbreadth ’scapes i’ the imminent deadly breach,”
but of many mishaps and hardships encountered during the
campaign on the filthy marshes, the most of which, though griey-
ous at the time, in reality added zest to the diversion, and will ever
remain imprinted on the memory of the true sportsman as agreeable
souvenirs by which to recall the scenes of much past enjoyment.
WILSON’S SNIPE. 203
DIFFERENT PLANS FOR SHOOTING SNIPES.
‘¢Next for the snipe you must prepare:
He darts like lightning through the air,
With devious wing; a moment wait,
You'll see the rover travel straight.”
There are many ways in vogue for overcoming the exaggerated
difficulties attending the shooting of snipes; in fact, every sports-
man has some particular rule of his own to guide him, and recom-
mends it in the strongest terms to every tyro panting to reach that
desirable goal, “‘a good snipe shot.” However, laying all means
and modes aside, every one is well satisfied if he reaches home at
the close of a long .day’s tramp with a few couples of these wary
birds. When, however, snipes are very abundant on our marshes
and the weather favorable for shooting, it is no unusual thing for
an experienced shot to retire from the field with fifteen or even
twenty couples of them.
All the various systems for bagging snipes may be reduced to
the two following plans:—‘“‘snap-shooting” and ‘deliberate shoot-
ing; both diametrically opposed to each other in practice and
theory, but the same in their results, as either will be found to
answer equally well in the present case. The snap-shot kills the
bird as soon as sprung, and before he enters upon the zigzag
course previously described; the deliberate shot poises his weapon,
and coolly waits till these perplexing meanderings are at an end,
and then pulls the trigger upon his victim with a certainty of
fetching him to the ground. The irregular flight of the snipe is
discontinued if the bird be allowed to pursue its course for a short
distance, and its motion becomes uniform and steady long before
it is out of reach of the gun, as it is very easily killed, requiring
but a shot or two to bring it down.
The following anecdote, just met with in the columns of the racy
“ Spirit,” is rather amusing :—
“‘T¢ is known to all snipe-shooters that when the bird rises he
makes a kind of screaming noise, something resembling the sound
of the word escape. A noted shot of our acquaintance invariably
204 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
exclaims, before pulling the trigger, ‘I'll be d—d if you do!’
giving as a reason that it affords him time to take his aim coolly
and collectedly. The plan appears to succeed with him, for a
snipe rarely escapes from his merciless barrel.”
The curious twisting flight of the snipe, when suddenly come
upon, is not altogether natural to the bird, but is rather the result
of circumstances, and has very justly been attributed to fright and
the great anxiety of the bird to make off; and perhaps their indis-
tinct vision in the glare of the day also renders their course, as it
were, undetermined and contorted.
‘¢Whene’er you beat for snipes, implore
Old AMolus o’er marsh and moor
Boldly to breathe ; yet always mind
You turn your back upon the wind.”
Snipes almost invariably fly against the wind: it will therefore
be important for the shooter to have the wind at his back; for by
this arrangement the bird presents a much better mark when
coming towards him, and he is also in the proper position to take
advantage of all the cross shots. These birds lie better in windy
weather than at any other time; but are more difficult to shoot,
perhaps, when on the wing, as they fly much farther and swifter
than if the day be warm and mild, when their flight is short and
easy.
This latter assertion seems rather strange, too,—that they should
fly ‘‘farther and swifter on a windy day than on a mild one;” for,
considering that they always proceed directly against the wind, it
would be very natural for us to infer that, in consequence of this
singular habit, their flight ought to be proportionably shorter,
slower, and more labored, owing to the powerful resistance offered
by a stiff breeze; such, however, is not the case, as every snipe-
shooter knows.
If, however, snipes have been much hunted after, and are wild,
they make long flights even in the calmest and clearest weather;
and are, as said before, very difficult to be got at, in consequence
?
of this very ‘‘calm and clearness of the atmosphere,” as they pos-
WILSON’S SNIPE. 205
sess very acute organs of hearing, and take wing at the slightest
noise which is ‘‘wafted gently o’er the moor,” from all quarters
and from very great distances; and when one rises, if in wisps of
two, three, or more, the alarm most usually becomes general, and
the example is followed by all the others in quick succession.
Notwithstanding these birds are, perhaps, more difficult to be
killed on a windy day than a mild one, there are but few snipe-
shooters that would not prefer a moderately blustering day to a
calm one, as the points in favor of the former certainly overbalance
all that can be said of the latter condition of the elements, and
that very considerably. In this opinion we presume that we are
sustained by nearly all our sporting friends; however, there are
some of our acquaintances—one at least, and, what is more sur-
prising, a very acute observer, too, of all things in general, and
more particularly of every thing appertaining to the sports of the
field—who will, at times, contend for the opposite, and strive most
pertinaciously to support this erroneous opinion, in spite of all the
powerful arguments brought to bear against it by men not his
inferiors in any point of view as sportsmen.
The only argument worth alluding to—and which, in fact, is not
an argument, but merely a position or assertion that these advo-
cates of calm weather adduce in support of their opinion—is the
fact ‘of the shooter so frequently overwalking the birds on a
windy day, and seeing them get up far behind him after he has
passed over the places where he expected to find them.” This
circumstance, however, is not owing to the state of the atmosphere,
but is rather the consequence of his own ignorance and bad manage-
ment in not quartering the ground properly, which is of the utmost
importance in snipe-shooting, when pursued without the assistance
of a dog. When we say that the sportsman must hunt down wind,
we do not mean that he should walk directly with the wind on his
back, but rather that he should proceed in an oblique course, so as
to quarter the ground in such a manner as to travel within hearing-
distance of every snipe which may be feeding around. By follow-
ing this plan, the birds rise on a windy day within ten, fifteen, or
206 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
twenty feet, as the case may be, circle about for an instant, and
then make invariably towards you or by you, and thus present the
very best shot that could be desired.
When raining, snipes are very uneasy, wild, and difficult of
approach.
Snipes always lie better in the autumn than they do in the
spring, as they are far more restless, and even shy, at this latter
season than they are when they return from the North, accom-
panied by the young birds, which necessarily are far less cautious
and timid than the old ones, and require more quiet to recruit
themselves after long flights.
DOGS FOR SNIPH-SHOOTING.
There are few dogs which we have ever had the good fortune to
meet with that can be employed with much success in snipe-shoot-
ing; and, when the birds are abundant, most of our shooters prefer
going to the field alone. However, when there is sufficient cover
on the marshes, and the dog is accustomed to his game, snipes will
frequently lie well, and suffer a cunning animal to approach within
a few feet of them. |
The dog, however, must be very careful, and not too fast; other-
wise he will overrun his game, and do much more harm than good.
The English, or rather Wilson’s snipe, as every one should call it,
gives forth a strong game effluvium; and it is no uncommon circum-
stance for a careful dog to draw upon one at a distance of twenty,
thirty, or even sixty feet. When the birds are very numerous and
somewhat confined, owing to the locality and small extent of their
feeding-grounds, we would advise a persevering shooter to leave
his four-footed companion at home, provided he is willing to travel
backward and forward over the cover and get all the birds up him-
self; for by so doing he will have a fairer chance to bag them than
if he had the best dog in the world; such, at all events, has been
our experience.
A snipe dog should be stanch, and had better be too old than
too young, as hunting young dogs on these birds is very likely to
WILSON’S SNIPE. 207
prove injurious to them, having a tendency to make them slow,
and perhaps lazy, as they find the birds so easy and the points
succeed each other so fast that they are unwilling thereafter to
put themselves to any great deal of trouble to find other game,
which will generally prove much more difficult to be got at. If
you must, however, take a canine friend along with you,—and there
are, we know, some shooters who cannot stir on an occasion of any
kind without two or more of these favorites,—please recollect that
one, at all events, is quite sufficient. We have seldom found dogs
of much account in snipe-shooting—perhaps because we never had
a particularly good one for this sport—except a first-chop retriever ;
and he can make himself very useful, provided he be intelligent
and well trained to cross the ditches and bring his bird without
coaxing or scolding.
As snipes invariably fly against the wind, it is a good plan to go
around the dog when on a point, and, by thus facing him, we may
get a much better shot when the bird rises. It is hardly necessary
for us to add that you should look out for your dog, otherwise you
may shoot him; such accidents have occurred, and may happen again.
To prove more forcibly this assertion in reference to the danger
apprehended from shooting our dogs in the field, it may not be
- amiss to mention that we have just this moment received the sad in-
telligence of the accidental death of a favorite pointer dog which we
presented as a mark of regard to a sporting friend, whom we know
to be scrupulously particular in the handling of his gun, but never-
theless not sufficiently cautious in this one instance to bring upon
himself the reproach of having, I may say, carelessly taken the life
of a good and faithful animal. In his letter to us, commenting
upon the painful mishap, this gentleman very feelingly remarks :—
‘Birds were very plenty, but after the sad accident I felt no dis-
position to shoot, and consequently killed but two, missed one, and
retired quite dispirited from the field, as well as mortified and dis-
tressed at this my first and only misadventure with a gun.”
If, therefore, this careful and very watchful sportsman could
accidentally shoot this dog,—for it was an accident, and we may
208 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
say, without any intention of being censorious, a heedless accident;
at all events an accident that should not have occurred,—how much
more does it behoove all young sportsmen to look to their dogs
when in the field, and never endanger their lives by any species
of negligence whatever; in fact, should never hold their weapons
so that they can come in range with them !
ADVANTAGES OF SNIPE-SHOOTING: ‘‘DULCIUS EX ASPERIS.”’
Notwithstanding the mud and mire, trouble and vexation, we
consider snipe-shooting a most pleasant diversion, more especially
on account of the great number of shots to be had in the course
of a day, as well as their rapid succession; and we are acquainted
with no kind of sport that so rapidly improves an indifferent shot
as this does. So much quickness, and at the same time so much
judgment, are so absolutely necessary to hit upon the exact mo-
ment for drawing upon the trigger, that the tyro, with a little
practice, will soon have complete control over all his movements;
and it is also necessary for him to be ever on the qud vive, as
nearly every bird that springs presents a different shot.
WHITE SNIPE.
Mr. Copple, an old shooter, showed us, a few days since, a very
beautiful specimen of a pied or white snipe that he had shot the
day previous in New Jersey. This is the first and only specimen
we have heard of. It has been mounted, and we believe is now
in the possession of Mr. Stirley.
WILSON’S SNIPE. 209
MEMORANDA.
1. Snipes are widely distributed over the world, and are equally
esteemed in all parts for their game qualities.
2. To Wilson belongs the honor of describing a marked distinc-
tion between the American and English variety.
3. The snipe is a migratory bird, breeding in the elevated
districts of our Northern States, as well as Canada.
4, They arrive in Pennsylvania about the middle of March, and
soon become fat. :
5. Their food consists of worms, insects, larvee, and the tender
roots of aquatic plants.
6. Snipes move farther north towards the close of April.
7. The young brood generally consists of four.
8. Snipes almost invariably fly against the wind; therefore
hunt them with the wind on your back.
9. Old and slow dogs are most suitable for this sport when the
birds are plenty; when scarce, a fast but cautious, as well as ex-
perienced, dog is most serviceable. Young and heedless animals
are far better at home under either contingency.
10. Snipes fly in “wisps,” and not in flocks; therefore say a
‘“‘wisp of snipes,’ and not a flock.
CHAPTER XII.
REED-BIRD, OR RICE BUNTING. EMBERIZA ORYZIVORA.
THEIR HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE.
HIS delicate little bird is well known
throughout the whole extent of our
country, and is also a winter visitant to
the West India Islands. In no quarter
of its rambles, however, is its coming
~ hailed with more delight than in the
‘ < neighborhood of Philadelphia. In the
HKastern and Northern States it is called
bobolink, from the peculiar note which it
almost incessantly emits, whether it be
flying, or perched upon the tops of the bending reeds. In Penn-
sylvania they are known only as reed-birds; in Carolina they are
styled rice-buntings; and in Louisiana, meadow-birds.
‘The rice-bunting is seven inches and a half long, and eleven
210
THE REED-BIRD. iit
and a half in extent. His spring dress is as follows:—upper part
of the head, wings, tail, and sides of the neck, and whole lower
parts, black; the feathers frequently skirted with brownish-yellow,
as he passes into the colors of the female; back of the head a
cream-color ; back black, seamed with brownish-yellow; scapulars
pure white; rump and tail-coverts the same; lower parts of the
back bluish-white; tail formed like those of the woodpecker genus,
and often used in the same manner, being thrown in to support it
while ascending the stalks of the reed: this habit of throwing in
the tail it retains even in the cage; legs a brownish flesh-color ;
eye hazel. In the month of June this plumage gradually changes
to a brownish-yellow; bill reddish color; legs and eyes as in the
male. The young birds retain the dress of the female until the
early part of the succeeding spring; the plumage of the female
undergoes no material change of color.”’
THEIR MIGRATIONS.
The reed-bird breeds and spends the larger portion of the sum-
mer months in the Northern States, extending its peregrinations
in this direction as far as Lake Ontario and the river St. Law-
rence. ‘Their nests are built upon the ground, usually in a field of
grass, wheat, or barley, and contain from four to six eggs, of a
bluish-white color, irregularly spotted. They raise but one brood
in a season, and, as soon as the young are able to leave the nests,
they associate with other broods, and thus in a short time form
large families, which are seen making their way over the country
from all quarters towards the banks of the streams and large
rivers, where they feed upon the reeds or plunder the grainfields
of our farmers. Although so very small and insignificant in
appearance, they often do serious injury to the crops, more par-
ticularly to the oatfields of New England, which they visit in
countless multitudes. Towards the middle of August, forsaking
their feeding-grounds in the North, the familiar “clink” of the
reedy is heard on every side in the neighborhood of Philadelphia,
and may be distinctly recognised on a still evening, as they pass
Pie LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in multitudes over the city.) During the first few days of their
appearance in these parts, they seem to confine themselves to the
cornfields and upland meadows, waiting as it were the further
ripening of the reeds; after this, they descend to the banks of the
Delaware and Schuylkill, which are now overrun with the rank
growth of the wild oats, Zazania aquatica, which produces a small
seed in great profusion. Feasting luxuriantly for several days on
this nutritious food, they soon become extremely fat,—in fact,
nothing but compact balls of delicious meat, each one a dainty
morsel for the eager palates of our epicurean citizens.
SHOOTING THEM.
The war of musketry is now heard incessantly from bright
morning till dark night, all along the banks of our rivers, and the
markets are soon overstocked with the innocent victims of many a
rusty old barrel, only brought into requisition once a year, in
reed-bird season. If the weather should be very warm, as it
most frequently is at this time of the year, the birds spoil very soon
after being killed, and consequently remain but a short time in the
hands of the hucksters and game-dealers, who are very glad to
dispose of them at from twelve to twenty-five cents per dozen, ac-
cording to the returns of the previous day’s shooting, which, of
course, depends in a great measure upon the wind and weather.
Reed-birds are shot on the meadows below our city, or in the
reeds from a boat. Greag numbers are often brought down at a
single shot, as oe congregate in enormous flocks
towards sunset; it is no uncommon thing to kill four or five dozen
from the well-directed fire of a double-barrelled gun. It would
appear incredible to state all the numbers that have been reported
as killed at one discharge of an old musket, or other heavy gun;
THE REED-BIRD. Ze
we will, therefore, confine ourselves to one single instance, in which
thirteen dozen were picked up,—the result of a raking fire poured
into a flock from an old fowling-piece that ‘scattered most con-
?
foundedly.” This is not by any means the largest number we
have heard of being bagged at one coup de fusil; but the account
is well authenticated and within bounds of credence, and we give
it to our readers as such, for we have no reason to doubt the vera-
city of the party who told us.
NETTING REED-BIRDS.
During the last year or two, a French gentleman of our city
has been amusing himself in netting these birds upon the meadows,
and has been quite successful in the sport, catching immense num-
bers, oftentimes several hundreds at a single draw of the net. The
process of taking reed-birds in this way is very simple; but, as we
are opposed to all kinds of poaching and unsportsmanlike modes
of taking any kind of winged game, we will not dwell longer on
the subject.
COMPARED WITH THE ORTOLAN OF EUROPE.
The flavor of the reed-bird is extremely juicy and rich, and
assimilates as near as possible to that of the ortolan of Europe,
which interesting fact we very unwittingly tested at a celebrated
café, in company with some others of our green countrymen who
were in Paris at the same time, and, greatly to our surprise as
well as indignation, were forced to pay for the information at the
rate of a dollar per head for these delicate little morceaux. At
this rather recherché but expensive feast—for we devoured the
poor ortolans in nearly the same numbers as we were wont to do
the reed-birds at the height of the season in our own city—we
think that the flavor of the French bird was indelibly stamped
upon our palate in about perhaps the same ratio as the impression
made at the time upon our purse, which, en passant, was not very
light, we can assure the reader, as we were all Philadelphians,
and consequently death on reed-birds, and, in course, ortolans
214 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
also. As far as we can recollect the particulars of this déjewner
@ la fourchette,—which, by-the-by, afforded us all much merriment
for a long time afterwards,—the company, pretty generally, when
partaking of the feast, in the goodness of their hearts, or rather in
the joy of their stomachs, were quite loud in their praises of the
far-famed ortolan; and all pronounced its flavor much superior to
that of the poor unpretending reedy of America. But, before
leaving the café, we must acknowledge there were some long faces
and short purses in the “‘crowd,’’ that seemed rather disposed to
disparage the well-merited compliments which were previously so
lavishly bestowed upon the French bird; and several were even so
ungrateful, after stowing away a brood or two of them in their
stomachs, as to draw invidious comparisons between the two rivals
for gustatory repute. After mature reflection, however, the whole
party, one and all, declared in favor of the reed-bird of America, at
twenty sous the dozen, over the French bird at one dollar a piece.
PROGRESS SOUTH.
| As soon as the frost makes its appearance in Pennsylvania, the
reed-birds as well as rails take their departure for the South, and
it is seldom that we find either of them with us longer than
October. After they leave our rivers they continue their course
south, visiting the ricefields of the Carolinas and Georgia, and
often commit great havoc in those regions. Although thousands
upon thousands of these birds have been destroyed in their route
from the North, still, thousands upon thousands of them yet exist,
and every gun is again brought into requisition in their new quar-
ters, to thin down their inexhaustible numbers; but all to no pur-
pose, as they still continue their flight in immense bodies as the
winter advances, and ultimately arrive at the termination of their
long voyage in the West India Islands. } In Jamaica they are
called butter-birds; and there, as in all other parts where they
make their appearance, they are highly esteemed for the delicacy
and richness of their flavor.
THE REED-BIRD. 215
CURIOUS FACTS.
Audubon states that when these birds migrate south in the
autumn their flight is diurnal, but when returning in the spring
they travel mostly at night. Such, however, has not been the result
of our observations, as we have noticed the flight of reed-birds,
many times during the autumn, in the still hours of the night; and
in the spring we have also seen them travelling during the day.
Another interesting particular respecting the reed-bird is the sin-
gular change which takes place in the plumage of the male. This
change begins in June, and by the close of the followmg month
the color has approached so nearly to that of the female that it is
very difficult to distinguish one from the other. This circum-
stance, in connection with the fact that the plumage of all the
young birds also resembles that of the females, has given rise to
the vulgar notion that the male birds never return from the North;
but what becomes of them every one of course is unable to con-
jecture.
AS A CAGE-BIRD.
The plumage of the reed-bird is variegated and pretty, and he
makes a very sprightly and contented captive for the bird-fancier:
soon forgetting his former life of freedom, he resigns himself to
his lot, and sings merrily and cheerily for several months in the
year. His notes are agreeable, and capable of much improvement
by associating him with the canary-bird, with which we have been
told he will pair.
216 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
CHANGE OF PLUMAGE.
We were shown, a few days since, a reed-bird, the plumage of
which was a perfect canary-color; and, if we had not recognised
the bird from its general outline, we should have pronounced it an
overgrown canary, so complete was the change that had taken
place in its appearance.
MEMORANDA.
1. Reed-birds breed in the North, pass the summer in the
Middle States, the autumn in the South, and the winter in the
West Indies.
2. In the North they are called bobolinks; in Pennsylvania and
Delaware, reed-birds; in the South, rice-buntings or meadow-birds;
in Jamaica, butter-birds.
3. They build their nests on the ground, and raise but one brood
in a season, consisting of from four to six young.
4. The plumage of the males during the summer resembles that
of the females so closely that it is difficult to tell them apart; the
young bird at this season also assimilates the female in its plumage.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RAIL, OR SORA. RALLUS CAROLINUS.
DESCRIPTION AND NOMENCLATURE.
HIS somewhat mysterious bird, so well
known throughout certain portions of our
country under the appellation of rail,
sora, or coot, resembles very closely both
the water-crake or spotted rail, and the
land-rail or corn-crake of England, not
only in its habits, but also in its general
appearance. ‘There are few, if any, spe-
cies of birds in our country that offer more tempting amusement to
the young sportsman, or a more agreeable delicacy for the table,
than the timid little fowl which now engages our attention. We will
detain the reader for a few moments while we transfer to our pages
an abridged ornithological description of this shy bird, and will
217
218 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
then pass on to a consideration of some of its habits, more parti-
cularly those within the range of our sporting friends, many of
which instinctive peculiarities have very justly been termed by
casual observers mysterious; all of which mysteries, however, we
hope to make perfectly plain to every one before the close of this
article. ‘The rail is nine inches long, and fourteen in extent;
bill yellow, blackish towards the point; stripe down the throat
black; sides of the crown, neck, and upper parts generally, olive-
brown; streaked with black on a brown-olive ground, and edged
with white; wing plain olive-brown; tertials streaked with black
and long lines of white; tail pomted, dusky olive-brown streaked
with black; lower part of the breast marked with semicircular lines
of white on a light ash-ground; belly white; vent brownish-buff;
legs, feet, and naked part of the thighs yellowish-green; eyes red-
dish-hazel. The female bird has little or no black on the head;
the throat is white, and the plumage generally is of a lighter
color, and more inclined to olive, than in the male.”’
HISTORY.
The first thing to be noticed regarding this bird is the circum-
stance which renders the term ‘‘mysterious’” particularly appli-
cable to the species. The regular migrations of the feathered
tribes are well known to naturalists, and the favored time and
peculiar conditions under which these voyages from distant parts
are consummated by game-birds have been observed by most
sportsmen; but in the case of the sora every one is more or less
at a loss, both as to their coming and departure from among us.
Whence they spring, or whither they go, both naturalist and sports-
man have been equally at fault, as each is unwilling to grant that a
bird whose flight is apparently so sluggish and feeble, scarcely rising
above the tops of the reeds, should be capable of a long-continued
volitation, or be sufficiently strong to encounter the fatigues of a
journey from the Far North, like other migratory birds. Neverthe-
less, it is an evident fact that rails must come from a distance; and
when they depart from our rivers, they must also travel to still more
TTR On A Pe 219
remote parts, if perchance they do not (as has been sagely sur-
mised by some enthusiastic inquirers after truth) bury themselves
in the mud of our river-banks or become changed into frogs.
But who was ever so fortunate as to dig up a petrified rail or
come across an unfinished metamorphosis of this description?
Wilson, however, informs us that this latter theory, ridiculous
as it may seem, had its originator and firm supporter, who boldly
asserted that the transmigration of the sora into the frog was
the true secret of the sudden disappearance of this bird; and,
moreover, that he, the author of the strange notion, had in his
possession for several days an animal of an extraordinary kind,
neither a rail nor a frog,—in fact, something between the two; but,
unfortunately for the progress of science, not being accustomed to
captivity and the over-kindness which was lavished upon it by its
lucky owner, the animal died before the change was complete,
and this remarkable dusus nature was thus lost to the investiga-
tions of the curious in such matters.
What rendered this singular hypothesis more striking, and con-
firmed the originator in his preconceived notions, was the circum-
stance of the frogs generally ceasing to croak about the time of
the coming of the rails in our rivers. This opinion, however, has
gained but little ground, as few persons are to be found so credu-
lous as to place any faith in a notion so extremely absurd. There
are several species of rails known in England. They arrive there
in the spring in the same mysterious manner which they do with us
in the summer, and depart at the first approach of frost for more
southern climes, in a like unceremonious style, seldom or never
being seen on their passage either to or from the countries where
at certain seasons they abound. So very shy is this bird, that,
although almost every meadow and clover-field in England re-
sounds during the spring with the eternal crek erek of the land-
rail, very few are shot, and the bird itself is scarcely known to the
country-people, notwithstanding they constantly hear its well-
known erek crek whenever they go into the fields. For such is
the secret, skulking, and solitary habits of this little bird, that it
220 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
very seldom takes wing, even when hotly pressed by a dog; and all
our sportsmen know how difficult it is to spring the rail, even with
the assistance of a boat, and a long pole with which to beat the reeds.
Notwithstanding the different notions respecting the movements
of our soras, it is certain that these birds, like many other species,
perform regular migrations from North to South, and return in the
same way during the following spring; and it is also probable
that their flights take place in the night, owing to their instinctive
desire to court concealment. Wilson tells us that it was formerly
no very unusual thing to find young rails on the meadows of the
Delaware and Schuylkill. Mr. Bartram, a gentleman well ac-
quainted with this bird, states that he has often seen and caught
young rails on his own meadows in the month of June; that he has
also seen their nests, usually in a tussock of grass, containing four
or five spotted, dirty, whitish-colored eggs, and that the young ran
as soon as they escaped from the shell, being quite black, and
glided about through the grass like mice, and during this particular
period they resembled the “‘ corn-crake of England.” ‘This cireum-
stance alone proves that the origin of soras is not involved in so
much obscurity as many persons are anxious to make it appear,
and satisfies us that these birds follow the general laws of nature
during the migratory season, and that some few of them, like other
birds of similar habits, remain with us in these latitudes during the
summer, for the purposes of breeding.
Although our sportsmen are unwilling to acknowledge the power
of soras to fly any considerable distance, we have several instances
on record that go to show that this bird is capable of great endu-
rance and of very extended flight, and that in common with other
birds it is possessed of foresight and strength sufficient to enable it
to go in quest of distant climes, congenial to its feelings and modes
of life. Mr. Skipwith, our consul several years since in Europe,
when returning home, off the capes of Chesapeake, caught several
rails that alighted on the ship, and, being well acquainted with the
bird, declares that they were the same as those usually killed on
the James River; and Wilson has also been assured by many gentle-
THE RAIL. all
men and captains that they have often met with these birds between
the mainland and the islands.* These facts, certainly, are sufli-
cient to convince us that rails are capable of very long flights, and
would also lead us to believe that many of them even pass their
winters in as remote districts as the West India Islands.
SINGULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RAIL.
The mysterious coming and going of the soras is not the only
singular characteristic attributed to the species, as it has been sur-
mised years ago, by a gentleman of respectability and worth of
this city, that rails are subject to bursts of vehement passion, occa-
sioning fits analogous to epilepsy, and relates several instances in
which this singular effect was produced. We never witnessed any
thing of this kind; but some of our sporting friends may have done
so in their shooting excursions, and we should be glad to hear from
them on the subject. It has also been observed, by ‘‘ Brewer,”’
that the various species of rails possess a certain power of ven-
triloquism, which is more particularly developed in the corn-crake
of England; and that when crying they often remain stationary,
and throw their voices in opposite directions, at one time as if
within a few yards of the spot where the observer is standing, and
in a second or two appearing in an entirely different position.
We should, perhaps, never have noticed this remarkable fact in
the rail species, if our attention had not been called to it by the
observations of ‘‘ Brewer.’ We are induced to place much confi-
dence in his views upon this subject, from our intimate knowledge
of the habits of the rails of our own country, which we believe also
to be somewhat endowed with this singular power; and the mere
mention of it in this article may possibly throw some additional
light on the subject. It is not at all impossible that nature may
* May 10, 1851.—We were invited by our friend George H. Bryan, Esq., to go
on board of the packet-ship Michael Angelo, just arrived from Liverpool, to see a
rail caught at sea some days previous. The captain assured us that the nearest
land at the time the rail was captured was Cape Sable, distant about three hun-
dred miles.
222, LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
have bestowed this power upon these birds for some good purpose,
as well as upon other animals. Captain Lyon, in speaking of the
Arctic fox, states that “‘it is a singular fact that their bark is so
modulated as to give an idea that the animal is at a distance, al-
though at the very moment he lies at your feet;’’ and he supposes
that these foxes are gifted with this species of ventriloquism in
order to deceive their prey as to the distance they are from them.
THEIR FOOD, ETC.
The soras, like the rice-buntings, are excessively fond of the
seeds of the Zizania aquatica, or wild reed, that grows in such
luxurious profusion along the muddy shores of many of our rivers,
and will be found secreted in the midst of these flourishing plants
as soon as they have acquired their full growth. The Zrzania
aquatica grows to a great height and spreads over immense tracts
of tidewater shores, extending for miles along the rivers, and
oftentimes rising to a height of ten or twelve feet and the stems
so strong and closely interwoven with each other that they defy
every effort to propel a boat through them. The seeds of this
plant begin to ripen, in the Kastern and Middle States, early in
August, and the rails soon find their way to the different rivers
whose shores produce it in any considerable abundance. When
they first arrive, they are poor and unpalatable, but soon gain
flesh, and become extremely fat and delicious to the taste. In truth,
we are very partial to this bird, and, when in good condition, prefer
it to most other kinds of game; at all events, we can eat more
THE RAIL. 223
rails, and partake of them more constantly without feeling sated
than of any other game-bird. They are particularly tender, rich,
juicy, and delicate, and do not cloy the stomach by quantity
or pall the appetite by daily indulgence. At this season the
reeds along the Delaware and Schuylkill swarm with these timid
little birds, that pursue their solitary ways in silence and dread,
seldom giving utterance to a single note, if undisturbed. Shoulda
stone, however, be thrown into the reeds, a sharp and rapid crek,
erek, crek will be heard resounding in every quarter; but still not
a rail is to be seen, although hundreds are gliding about through
the reeds in every direction, within a few feet of where we are
standing. If we should be so fortunate as to spy one skulking in
the dense field of reeds before us, he will most probably be seen
jutting up his tail and running with astonishing speed between the
stalks of those plants, more like a water-rat than a feathered
denizen of the air. The flight of this bird being so regular and
feeble, it presents an easy mark to the young sportsman, and per-
haps is the best game-bird that we have on which to commence the
art of shooting on the wing, although it will require considerable
experience to make the tyro proficient in the science of balancing
_ his body in the boat while it is being pushed through the reeds.
The sora seldom flies more than fifty or a hundred yards at a
time, and often not so far. They merely rise with extended legs,
and flutter, as it were, lazily over the tops of the reeds, and then
drop down again. We have, however, observed them, when hard
pressed by numerous shooters, direct their course across the Dela-
ware, and seemingly gain strength and energy as they pursued
their venturesome way.
When wounded, rails exhibit wonderful cunning, and fre-
quently display decided ingenuity in their efforts to escape. They
swim with ease, and dive very expertly, occasionally remaining
under water for some moments, clinging to the reeds with their
feet; and we have often observed them secreted and perfectly
motionless under the sides of the boat, or floating under the broken
reeds, with the point of their bill protruding above the surface of
2A LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the water, to enable them to breathe, in which position they will
continue until an opportunity offers for escaping from their
pursuer.
In the month of July, the soras are found farther north; and we
hear of them being shot upon the marshy shallows in the neighbor-
hood of Detroit, where another species of reed, to which they are
also partial, is seen to grow; and no doubt there are many places
along our northern frontier that are visited by these birds in their
annual migrations. Rails are very sensitive to cold, and seldom
remain with us longer than the month of October; and it is quite
useless to go in quest of them after a smart frost or two, even if it
should occur quite early in the season, as they will generally be
found to have abandoned their haunts as suddenly as they came to
them. The season of 1846 was a remarkably favorable one for
the stay of the soras in our rivers; and we understand that until
November 25th of that year they lingered in considerable numbers
among the reeds, luxuriating upon their tender seeds, and awaiting
the first brumal spell to speed them on their tedious journey to the
South.
SHOOTING RAILS.
The sport attending the destruction of rails is exciting and
exhilarating in the extreme, but perhaps more fatiguing and less
beneficial to health than any other kind of shooting. It is carried
on in this wise :—
Being furnished with a small, flat-bottomed canoe, and a good,
broad-shouldered boatman, yclept ‘‘ pusher,” from the peculiar duty
that he performs in propelling the bateau through the reeds by
means of a long pole, the sportsman stations himself on the rail-
ground and anxiously awaits the coming of the tide. The water
THE RAIL. aps)
having risen to a sufficient height to allow the passage of the boat
through or over the reeds, the shooter places himself in the bow
of the little craft, surrounded by all the necessary paraphernalia
for loading with expedition and safety, and, being ever on the gu
vive, knocks the poor birds down right and left as they rise a few
yards before the boat as it gently glides among the reeds.
It is better to have two double-barrelled guns; for when the
birds get up lively it will be necessary to load and fire so rapidly
that the gun will soon become too hot to handle or charge
without danger, and the chambers and barrels will get so clogged
with powder and leaded with shot that it will be almost impossible
to load with the necessary expedition. It will also be proper to
provide yourself with a good, stout ramrod, which can be handled
with facility and thrown down anywhere in the boat without fear
of bemg broken. ‘To prevent accidents and insure despatch in
loading—upon which latter circumstance the grand result of the
day’s sport almost entirely depends, even with a moderately good
shot—it is absolutely necessary to be provided with shot-cartridges,
which, together with the caps and powder, may be placed in a handy
box, and set on the bow of the boat, directly in front. The kind
of box we generally make use of is made of tin, about twelve
inches in length, six in width, and five in depth; it is divided into
two equal compartments,—one for powder, and the other for shot
or cartridges; and the latter apartment has a small shelf or divi-
sion at one end of it, sufficiently large to hold a quantity of caps
or cut wads. If cartridges are used, there will be no occasion for
wads; and, as we employ them altogether when shooting rails, we
have no division in our box for holding wads. The box should
be made of good, stout tin, well soldered together, with a cover
or lid sufficiently large to close up either apartment, and so made
that when thrown from the powder it will fall over and cover up
the shot or cartridges, and when the shot is exposed to view the
powder will necessarily be covered up, and thus prevent accidents,
and the provoking consequences arising from the small seeds, stems,
and dirt falling into the powder, when the boat is being propelled
15
226 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
through the high reeds. It is better not to have a handle to the
box, as it would necessarily have to be square, and over six inches
high from the top of the box, so as to allow the lid to pass under
it; and, being made in this way, would have a clumsy appearance,
and be of no particular benefit, but rather interfere with the motion
of the hands when loading with rapidity. If the box is filled with
the necessary ammunition before leaving the house, it may be very
conveniently carried to the boat by tying it up in a stout handker-
chief, or a leather strap may be attached to the box is such a way
as to serve the purpose of a handle. But we prefer taking all our
accoutrements to the boat in a small basket, and then transferring
them to the box, before leaving the shore. The basket also answers
a very good purpose for carrying the birds in from the boat on our
return, as they dry much better, and the plumage looks far more
nice than when dangling to a long string, upon which they become
soiled and ruffled, by dragging on the ground or pitching about in
the boat. However, if a stationary handle is convenient on some
accounts and inconvenient on others, it is easy enough to have a
shifting one put on, that may be taken off at pleasure; but we
prefer the old cotton handkerchief or basket, and so does a valued
friend of ours, a veteran sportsman, from whom we took the idea.
Thus equipped, and provided with a good portion of ice, to allay
the parching thirst that generally attends this sport during the hot
days of summer, the shooter takes his position in the bow of the
boat, with gun in hand, left leg forward, and his body firmly
balanced. Being rightly placed, the sportsman now trusts him-
self to the skill and management of the ‘“‘ pusher” to carry him
through the reeds wherever the rails are most likely to be feeding.
Great dexterity and muscular power are required in a pusher;
for without the former the shooter may be splashed from head to
foot, and perhaps rudely knocked overboard by the awkward
handling of the heavy pole by which the boat is made to shoot
through the reeds; and, without the latter requisite, the skiff, m-
stead of proceeding in a regular, steady course, will start and
quiver with an uneasy motion, that renders the footing so unstable
THE RAIL. rapa
that he may be thrown down, perhaps overboard,—at all events, be
often prevented from shooting when a rail presents itself.
Another important requisite in a “pusher” is that he be a good
‘“marker,”’ otherwise one-third of all the birds shot will be lost, as
the eternal sameness of the green reeds precludes the possibility of
an inexperienced hand finding them, when, as is often the case,
there are four or five rails down at one time. Who among our
Philadelphia shooters has not heard of Old Pike, Fowler, and Bill
Rump, of rail-shooting notoriety, all of whom have served an
b
honorable apprenticeship to the arduous task of “pushing,” and
are not yet to be excelled in these parts? How eagerly are these
three veteran ‘“‘ pushers” sought after, and how frequently, almost
universally, do their boats bring in the largest number of birds,
without regard to the skill of the sportsman himself!—as an in-
different shot, with these men, will have double the number of
chances that a better marksman with another ‘pusher’ will get on
the same tide, and consequently may miss a third of his birds and
still be even with the party. The first time we went out rail-
shooting, we employed ‘ Bill Rump;”’ and, to our great satisfaction
and surprise, on counting our birds, found that we had beaten
several old stagers at the sport, although—we are loath to con-
fess it—we missed enough of fair shots to quite discourage, if not
at times to totally disgust, our zealous “‘ pusher.”’
However, speaking of ‘“‘beating others at this kind of sport”’
reminds us of the great opportunities that those who participate
in this amusement have of chiselling each other regarding the
number of rails actually killed on one tide. To show the fallacy
of betting on the results of such shooting, without the parties are
much closer watched than they usually are at the present time, we
will merely state that there are some individuals, “‘begging their
?
pardons,’ nothing remarkable for their shooting qualities, who
never can be beaten, or never will be beaten, upon a trial-match at
rail-shooting, no matter how great the number their antagonist kills,
for the simple reason that they are leagued in with their friends
and ‘‘pushers’’ to provide them with the birds when concealed from
228 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
observation in the reeds, even if the stern or bow of the boat is
not stuffed full before leaving the landing; or perchance he may ~
find a dozen or two cunningly staked out in the reeds, which will
so considerably augment his numbers that no shot, no matter how
good, can easily overcount him.
We know that such tricks have been practised upon our friends,
‘‘and we consider it our duty to expose them, and thus put the
green ones’ on their guard, or, at least, on an equal footing with
these wonderful ‘‘rail-shooters,” who every season perform such
miracles and make loud boasts of their slaughter and carnage.
As the boat passes through the reeds, the rails usually rise
singly a few feet in advance of the bow, and, flying slowly in a
direct line, present a fair mark for the sportsman. It is seldom
that more than one bird is killed at a time, although two are occa-
sionally brought down with one barrel, when they spring fast and
cross each other in their flight.
It is the duty of the “pusher” to mark the birds which are killed,
as also to notice where those that escape drop down; and when a
rail springs on either side of the boat, he should call out ‘Mark!’
so that the shooter may be on the alert to bang away in every
direction. The higher the tide the better the sport, as the boat
will glide more freely over the reeds, and the birds, having Jess
shelter, are obliged to spring more frequently when come upon.
The reeds around the boat should be constantly beaten with the pole,
as rails are often concealed within a few feet of our track and
will not stir without being driven to ‘‘ wing” by this method.
The tides are regulated very much by the wind; and the moon,
also, has no small influence in the production of high tides com-
monly called “spring-tides,” which may occur both at the full and
change, as at both these periods she acts on the earth in conjunc-
tion with the sun.
For rail-shooting in the Delaware or Schuylkill, and, in fact, in
all the tributaries of the former, a southerly or southeasterly wind
will produce the best tides; but we have seen good tides when the
wind was from quite a contrary direction, and no doubt every rail-
THE. RAIL 229
shooter has occasionally been deceived in his calculations on this
head. We have known excellent tides in our river when the wind
was blowing fresh from the northeast.
It is a common observation that soras are fatter during the
increase and full of the moon than at any other time, which has
been accounted for by the fact that the bird is at this time able to
feed both by day and night; and, moreover, the high tides that
prevail frequently at this period enable the rails to get at the seeds
better, and a much greater deposit of them is also left on the mud
at low water, by the breaking down and shaking of the reeds
during the ebb and flow of the water. If the day be somewhat
hazy, it will answer the purpose of the sportsman much better
than a clear sky, as the reflection of the sun from the water upon
one’s face, in connection with the beaming hot rays upon one’s
head, for several hours together, is not the most pleasant position
that a shooter can place himself in.
The sport continues without intermission till the receding tide
warns the ‘‘pusher” that all his efforts will soon prove unavailing
to propel the boat through the thick reeds that encompass him
on every side.
It is useless to attempt to give any instructions as to shooting.
these birds; as we are convinced that any one who keeps his eyes
open, and points the gun towards the rail, will be sure to kill
them, as they seldom or never deviate from a direct course, but
pursue a bee-line for a few yards and then pop down again. The
only thing necessary to make an expert rail-shooter is a little
- quickness in handling the gun, as the bird must be covered as soon
as on the wing, otherwise he flutters for a moment or so and then
drops in the reeds, and, as before remarked, when down after
being flushed, he lies very close, and is difficult to be got up
again.
230 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
NUMBERS KILLED.
The number of rails often killed on a single tide by one shooter
is almost incredible, when we take into consideration the circum-
stance that the birds are all shot singly; and, if we had not most
authentic information regarding these statements, we should hesi-
tate to publish them. But, having obtained the memoranda for
1846 from a reliable source, we cannot for a moment doubt its
correctness, and our own observations lead us to believe that the
accounts are not at all exaggerated. The great abundance and
luxurious profusion of the reeds along the shores of the Delaware
below Philadelphia, and the extensive mud-flats which are covered
for miles with these plants, make our river the favorite resort of
rails, as well as reed-birds, and the multitude that are slaughtered.
each season are beyond computation. The following extract is
taken from the paper furnished us and carefully compiled by
Major Price, of the National Hotel, Chester, and we select from it
the best shooting of the season of 1846 :—
Sept. 3, J. Irwin killed...... 82 rails. | Sept. 7, J. M. Eyre killed... 90 rails.
Pe ke) oiler BnyEE cosets « 02s Ores ecaue Matzimeers seas see 2g
* 4, B. B. Pearson....... LOM a: Oph. HaWyre. jsscs2 ae OA ar
GO) AT ANS Mana ON fabnaccone 8oL Ue. Co Os MS TOMA! cele nen estat oO imc
COVA, Wellsits.iccsesec: PSO ass Gas Mise id Olid Boy cYeyateh Sie 3 Ones
oN) Da Matzinmercs soss.6as2- OO eat Ou IKE Bonsall’ CLOT
« 5, J. M. Odenheimer. 128 ‘“ COE On ris INiewinol dueeneeeeae Sul st
Se MeV Esa ELOL eerie sasercerecier Sine « 9, J. M. Odenheimer. 132 “
£0, WCU. cba yasets fetes 154 * Pe LOMENY MEV eal Ane sllean ene LORE
BOP Oa ANN NOTED ieee cesta 136 ex Eanwvo nt Gre Biles. nauk aren S505 7
CS THe DN ANTS sere yn ale 4 * STON SS HNiemboldisceepeses Ro
Go On ie By Diverse sennsteae LOSS: OM Seibomsalyese ccs 141“
Cc) OStSs Sunithsseaesesse ene OSH CoO C AS Simmitins. esd aces LOS
Soe seh o Rial Bayi Peus pete Odes: oO. Be Hiynexers. secu nella
Ce x Om PICs .eneescnsueess coop che hale MB RW TOsce ose, en eas LOD es
Sep orin ChUSt-ecnses4 see Hb ace eerie Boawards.n. ones. Ome
ceperaah aivlonese.. seeace COM Ocky4i SSmith': 220 eee 104“
« 1, H. Edwards.. 5, AOS) 6
But the greatest exploit of all is yet to be chronicled. On the
8th of September, Mr. J. M. Eyre killed on one tide the sur-
prising number of one hundred and ninety-five rails, which is
THE: RALL, O23]
forty more than ever was bagged by one shooter on our river, if we
except, perhaps, the shooting-match that took place many years
ago between Mr. Hubbell and a friend, at which time, we believe,
the former gentleman got one hundred and seventy-five rails. The
birds were very numerous, as we may suppose, on this day, and the
tide very high, insomuch that the rails were obliged to seck
shelter on the meadows,—a very uncommon circumstance. Mr.
Hyre lives in Chester, and is considered one of the very best of
shots on rail, and is ever on the spot ready to avail himself of all
the high tides that make up our river during the rail-season.*
The most indifferent shot may often kill from thirty to forty
rails on a good tide, and fair shots always calculate on sixty or
eighty.
SHOOTING RAILS IN VIRGINIA.
Although soras are generally killed in the way we have endea-
vored to describe above, they are taken along the shores of the
James River, in Virginia, in much greater numbers, by a very
singular process, with which, however, we are not practically ac-
quainted, but will lay it before our readers in the words of Wilson.
The operation of this method is the same as the “ fire-hunting of
woodcock”’ in Louisiana:—‘ A kind of iron grate is fixed on the
top of a short pole, which is placed like a mast in a light canoe,
and filled with fire. The darker the night the more successful is
the sport. The person who manages the canoe is provided with
a lteht paddle ten or twelve feet in length, and, about an hour
before high-water, proceeds through among the reeds, which lie
broken and floating on the surface. The whole space for a con-
siderable way round the canoe is completely enlightened: the birds
stare with astonishment, and, as they appear, are knocked on the
head with a paddle and thrown into the canoe. In this manner,
* During the season of 1849, rails were very abundant, and great numbers were
«killed; over one thousand were brought into Chester alone during one day of a
very good tide.
252 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
from twenty to eighty dozen have been killed by three negroes in
the short space of three hours.”
NETTING RAILS.
We have been informed that a French gentleman of our city
conceived the project of driving rails into nets set in the reeds;
but we believe that he was not very successful in the undertaking,—
at all events, not as much so as he has been in the capture of reed-
birds by a somewhat similar process.
FISH PREY UPON RAILS.
Wherever rails abound, eels and catfish are said to resort in
great numbers, anxiously awaiting every opportunity to prey upon
all those that escape the eye of the marker after being killed, or
that die from wounds. It is no uncommon thing to find portions
of these birds, and even whole rails, in the stomachs of eels.
PLACES TO SHOOT RAILS.
It is difficult to say where, upon the Delaware, sportsmen can
find the most rails, as every spot teeming with the Zizania aqua-
tica is filled with these little birds, and great numbers are killed
in the neighborhoods of Trenton, Bristol, Bordentown, Burlington,
Bridesburg, Gloucester Point, Penrose Ferry, Marcus Hook, Laza-
retto, Chester, &c. This latter place is perhaps as good as any,
THE RAIL. _, Bee
being at a convenient distance from the city, and good pushers
and boats are to be had without much difficulty.
EXPENSE ATTENDING RAIL-SHOOTING.
This amusement is somewhat expensive to the sportsman,—at all
events, much more so than partridge-shooting. Good pushers
command high prices for their arduous services, and few, if any of
them, are contented with less than $2 50 or $3 a tide; but if they
perform their duty well, we do not consider these amounts too mucn,
as their work is of the severest kind. If the generality of them,
however, drank less and pushed harder, it would be a salutary
change for the better among this class of men.
Some of our friends who live upon the river in the vicinity of
the rail-ground take turns in pushing each other during the shoot-
ing season, and thus enjoy in a quiet way this sport, without the
expense of employing ‘“‘regular pushers.”
234 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
MEMORANDA.
1. Rails migrate regularly, as many other birds, and pass the
breeding season in the North and the winter in the Far South.
2. These migrations are invariably performed under cover of
night, and hence the mystery of their sudden appearance: they
are capable of long flights, and have frequently been caught far
out at sea.
3. Like the reed-birds, they are very partial to the seeds of the
Zizania aquatica, and consequently frequent the river-shores where
this plant flourishes in the greatest profusion.
4, Rails make their appearance in the Delaware and Schuylkill
Rivers early in August, and remain till the frost warns them to
seek the sunny South.
5. Rails are easily killed; two pellets of small shot are quite
sufficient to knock them down. When wounded, they swim and
skulk with great skill.
6. The greatest number of rails as yet killed on any one tide is
one hundred and ninety-five.
CHAPTER XIV.
@REAT RED-BREASTED RAIL. RALLUS ELEGANS.
LOCALITY AND DESCRIPTION.
N his work on the birds of Long Island,
Giraud thus describes this beautiful
fowl:—*‘ Bill along the gap, two inches
and three-quarters; length of tarsi, two
inches; sides and forepart of neck and
the breast, bright orange-brown; iris,
bright red.” Total length of the spe-
cimen before us, seventeen inches; wing,
six and three-quarters. Adult, upper
part of head and hind-neck dull brown;
from the base of the upper mandible over the eye a dull white
line terminating with brownish-orange; lower eyelids white, loral
space and a band behind the eye dusky; upper part of the body
brownish-black; the feathers broadly margined with light olive-
m 235
236 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
brown; wing-coverts dull chestnut; primaries dark brown, inner
secondaries and tail-feathers same as the back; throat white;
forepart and sides of the neck, with the breast, bright orange-
brown ; abdomen and sides of the body dark brown, faintly barred
with dark brown; lower tail-coverts white, with a black spot near
the end; the middle feathers black, barred with white.
The Rallus elegans is well known to the Delaware rail-shooters as
the king-rail. They frequent the fresh-water marshes of the inte-
rior, and seem to feed upon similar food with the sora rails, as they
are generally found in the same localities. The red-breasted rail
is far more common in the South than it is to the eastward, being
seldom met with beyond the reedy shores of the river Delaware.
The specimen before us is a very beautiful one, and was obtained
while shooting soras below Chester last season.
The flesh of the king-rail is very analogous to that of the sora,
perhaps not quite so delicate, but at times equally as juicy and
tender. ‘The Rallus elegans affects fresh-water marshes only, never
being found on the seaboard; it penetrates far into the interior,
and has the same wild and skulking habits as the other variety ;
its flight is short and apparently labored, and it requires but a
slight “rap” to knock it over. This bird swims and dives, when
wounded, with great dexterity, and resorts to the same artifices to
conceal itself beneath the water as the sora rail.
We shot one of these birds on an upland marsh in the midst of
a heavy wood, in the interior of Maryland, during the month of
July.
The king-rail is also known as the fresh-water marsh-hen, in
contradistinction to the clapper-rail, which is often spoken of ag
the “salt-water marsh-hen.”
CHAPTER XV. ~ a)
CLAPPER-RAIL, OR MUD-HEN. RALLUS CREPITANS.
NOMENCLATURE, ETC.
~ UD-HENS, meadow-clappers, or big rails,
(for by these appellations this fowl is more
familiarly known to the coast-shooters,)
are met with along our whole Atlantic
board, from the southernmost extremities
of Florida even as far north as the New
England States. The clapper-rail is a
large bird, and affords at times consider-
able sport to the shooter: the flesh, however, notwithstanding all
the arts of the mditre de cuisine to the contrary, is universally
237
238 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
insipid, dry, and sedgy. This fowl is not known in Europe, but it
somewhat resembles the moor-hen (Furtica chlorophus) of England,
both in its habits, size, and the savorless character of its meat.
Clapper-rails are extremely shy and secret in their habits, and
are only to be found along the salt marshes of the sea-shore and
the large rivers of the Atlantic States. They are always abun-
dant in New Jersey and Delaware, and sometimes quite numerous
in the brackish fens of Long Island. The mud-hen is a migratory
bird, and arrives from the South on the coast of New Jersey and
the neighboring States about the middle of April. Though coming
unobserved in the stillness of the night, they soon make their
presence known to the inhabitants of those districts by the sound
of their harsh and never-ceasing cackle, somewhat resembling the
well-known tremulous cry of the Guinea-fowl. Although the
marshes and sedgy meadows, in the course of a very few days
after their first appearance, resound on all sides with the unmelo-
dious notes of these skulking birds, few or none of them are to be
seen, as they seldom take wing, and when pursued run with amaz-
ing rapidity through the tangled weeds and high grass which always
grow so luxuriantly in the haunts that they affect. In our youth-
ful days we have had many a race after a wounded clapper, and
know full well that our powers of speed and endurance were often
most fruitlessly taxed in the arduous chase.
The mud-hen commences laying towards the close of May; the
nest is simple, but often artfully contrived for concealment, having
the long grass twisted and plaited over it in the form of an arch,
so as effectually to conceal it from the glance of an inexperienced
observer. Hight or ten eggs are usually found in their nests: we
have seen as many as fifteen. The eggs are eagerly sought after
by the residents of these parts, who, in fact, consider them far
superior in delicacy to those of the domestic hen. The wholesale
robbery of their nests is not the only interruption that the clapper-
rail meets with during the period of incubation, as the marshes are
occasionally overflown during the continuance of a northeast gale,
and thousands of eggs as well as old birds are destroyed.
CLAPPER-RAIL, OR MUD-HEN. 239
Wilson mentions an instance where this calamity took place
twice during one season, and, notwithstanding these sad misfor-
tunes, this persevering fowl commenced building anew the third
time, and in two weeks their eggs appeared as numerous as ever.
On these occasions, hundreds of mud-hens are destroyed by the
ruthless hands of idle boys, and even grown persons, many of
whom avail themselves, as before observed, of every opportunity
to sacrifice the lives of the inferior animals, from a mere love of
cruelty, or to gratify a montrous propensity for shedding blood.
The clapper-rail swims expertly and dives with considerable
facility, often remaining under the water for several minutes at
a time, holding on to the roots of the marine plants that grow at
the bottom of the inlets and guts which intersect the marshes
whereon these birds congregate.
It is almost impossible to flush them; and the only chance the
sportsman has to shoot them is by going on the marshes in a light
boat during a high tide, when, from want of shelter, they are
obliged, like the soras, to seek safety in flight, and are then easily
knocked over. When the tide is not sufficiently high for this
sport, many may be killed by moving noiselessly along the guts in
a boat and keeping a sharp look-out on all sides for the many
clappers that will ever and anon be seen stealing down to the
water’s edge, to drink, or to pick up the small shell-fish and aquatic
insects which are deposited upon the banks. <A good retriever
would prove a useful dog in these expeditions, to recover and
bring to hand the wounded birds, as when only slightly struck the
clapper-rail is very tenacious of life, and runs with so much ease
through the reeds and matted grass that few sportsmen, no matter
how agile they may be, can overtake them. The dog should be
as small as possible; otherwise he will not be able to follow the
bird through the twistings of the pathways, or rather archways,
which it forms all through the reeds.
The flight of the clapper-rail is very similar to that of the sora;
and being, if any thing, even more slow and labored, it requires
but an indifferent shot to bring them down. We have killed these
240 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fowls often, when in pursuit of other coast-birds, on the marshes
about Cape May and Cape Henlopen, but never thought it worth
while to go a foot out of our way to procure them, as they are at
best but an unsavory dish for the table; and we trust that we
have never encouraged the weasel-like propensity to take life from
sheer fondness of carnage, or perhaps to indulge a morbid taste to
make a great display by the magnitude of our game-bag.
DESCRIPTION.
“The clapper-rail measures fourteen inches in length and
eighteen in extent; the bill is two inches and a quarter long,
slightly bent, pointed, grooved, and of a reddish-brown color; iris
of the eye dark red; nostril oblong, pervious; crown, neck, and
back, black, streaked with dingy brown; chin and line over the
eye brownish-white; auricular dusky; neck before, and whole
breast, of the same red-brown as that of the preceding species;
wing-coverts dark chestnut; quill-feathers plain dusky; legs red-
dish-brown; flanks and vent black, tipped or barred with white.
The males and females are nearly alike.
“The young birds of the first year have the upper parts of an
olive-brown, streaked with pale slate; wings pale-brown olive;
chin, and part of the throat, white; breast ash-color, tmged with
brown; legs and feet a pale horn-color.”’
OUD Kahu e-WUFEYREN- SC = ale a a
CHAPTER XVI.
ESQUIMAUX CURLEW, OR SHORT-BILLED CURLEW. SCOLOPAX
BOREALIS.
“Soothed by the murmurs of the sea-beat shore,
His dun-gray plumage floating to the gale,
The curlew blends his melancholy wail
With those hoarse sounds the rushing waters pour.”
NOMENCLATURE AND DESCRIPTION.
HIS large and handsome bird is known to
our shooters as the jack curlew, or short-
billed curlew, in contradistinction to the
other variety, the Numenius longerostris,
or long-billed curlew.
‘The Esquimaux curlew is eighteen
inches long and thirty-two inches in ex-
tent; the bill, which is four inches and a
half long, is black towards the point, and a pale, purplish flesh-
color near the base; upper part of the head dark brown, divided
16 241
242 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
by a narrow stripe of brownish-white; over each eye extends a
broad line of pale drab; iris dark-colored; hind part of the neck
streaked with dark brown; fore-part and whole breast very pale
brown; upper part of the body pale drab, centered and barred
with dark brown, and edged with spots of white on the exterior
vanes; three primaries black, with white shafts; rump and tail-
coverts barred with dark brown; belly white; vent the same,
marked with zigzag lines of brown on a dark cream ground; legs
and naked thighs a pale lead-color.”’
This bird, like most others of our sea-fowl, is migratory, arriving
in the Middle States from the South early in the spring, and re-
maining a short time, feeding on the mud-flats and salt marshes,
in company with various others of the feathered race. After this
they take up their line of march for the Far North, where they
spend the summer in breeding and rearing their young. The
short-billed curlews travel in large bodies, and keep up a constant
whistling during their journeys. It is possible that some few re-
main the whole summer through in the marshes about Cape May,
for the purposes of incubation: such, indeed, is the opinion of
those employed in shooting these birds for the markets. We have
often met with them in the neighborhood of Cape May early in
July.
During the breeding season, curlews collect in immense numbers
on the Labrador coast, where they remain till the months of
August and September, and then leave in large companies for the
South. During these months, and until the commencement of cold
weather, curlews are very numerous on the coast of New Jersey
and Long Island, frequenting the salt marshes and flats, where
they find abundance of food, such as marine worms, shell-fish, and
various species of aquatic insects, all of which they partake of
greedily. On these mud-flats, where numberless varieties of sea-
birds collect, are great quantities of a particular kind of shell or
craw-fish, vulgarly called fiddlers, upon which the larger fowls
prey and soon become fat. This dainty food, however, though
very nutritious and excellent, does not improve the flavor of the
ESQUIMAUX OR SHORT-BILLED CURLEW. 943
bird, as their meat soon becomes coarse and sedgy after their arri-
val among us. In the North, they keep more to the open grounds
of the interior, and consequently feed chiefly on seeds, insects, and
berries. Their flesh at such times is pronounced delicious, and
even delicate. We have shot them within a few days after their
arrival among us from the North, and always found them more
palatable than at any other time. When these birds associate
with field-plovers and frequent the meadow-lands, their flesh is
quite passable, and even sometimes quite savory; but it is not
often that they are found in such good company. Curlews are
very shy, and require much caution to approach. They fly with
great rapidity when frightened, and require a good blow to bring
them down. There are many ways of shooting this bird: the
favorite plan is rowing through the inlets and guts in a boat, and
killing them as they fly backward and forward to their different
feeding-grounds, or coming upon them by stealth, when, unsus-
picious of danger, they are socially feeding, in company with other
waders, on the insects and shell-fish that they find on the bars and
points along the creeks. Great caution, silence, and a consider-
able degree of manceuvring, are necessary to follow this sport with
much success, as these birds are extremely shy and easily put to
flight. When approaching them, keep near to the shore, and also
under cover of the land: it will also be frequently necessary to
get out of the boat and make a long detour, so as to get in the
rear of the birds: we have often obtained a raking shot at beach-
fowl in this way.
If one be wounded, he should be made use of as a decoy for
others, as they are very kindly in their feelings, and show a great
desire always to assist a distressed companion, whom they will fly
around for a considerable time, and thus offer many opportunities
to kill several before leaving the spot. Tor all kinds of coast-
birds, when shooting from a boat, it is best to have a gun in re-
serve, as the most of them are enticed within reach by the cries of
a winged bird, and the second volley in such cases is oftentimes
the most destructive.
244 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
The great mistake that city shooters make in pursuing coast-
birds is in the size of the guns which they make use of. Partridge-
guns are not suitable for this kind of sport; neither are the full
duck-guns the proper weapon. A medium-sized gun is the proper
instrument: it should not be too light, or the bore too small, and
above all it should be forged to throw the shot with great force at
long distances. When going along the inlets in a boat, keep a
bright look-out on the marshes adjoining the stream, and you will
often discover two or three suspicious-looking heads peering up
from among the high grass, within a short distance of the banks,
offering an easy shot to the marksman. We have obtained many a
good shot in this way which otherwise would have been passed by.
This bird is not the same with the Scolopax phaepus, or whimbrel
of England, as originally supposed, but proves to be an entirely
distinct species.
CHAPTER XVII.
LONG-BILLED CURLEW, OR SICKLE-BILL. NUMENIUS LONGIROSTRIS.
HABITS AND DESCRIPTION.
_, HIS variety of curlew is larger than the
preceding species, but not, perhaps, as
numerous; it is a beautiful and noble-
looking bird. The habits of the sickle-
bills are very similar to those of the
short-billed; they frequent the salt
marshes and sea-shore about the same
time as the other bird, and we are sur-
prised to learn from Mr. Giraud’s work that numbers of them re-
main on Folly Island, near Charleston, during the season of nidifi-
cation, for the purposes of procreation.
““The long-billed curlew is twenty-five inches in length and
three feet three inches in extent, and when in good order weighs
245
246 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
about thirty ounces; but individuals differ greatly in this respect.
The bill is eight inches long, nearly straight for half its length,
thence curving considerably downwards to its extremity, where it
ends in an obtuse knob that overhangs the lower mandible; the
color black, except towards the base of the lower, where it is of a
pale flesh-color; tongue extremely short, differing in this from the
snipe; eye dark; the general color alone of the plumage above is
black, spotted, and barred along the edge of each feather with pale
brown; chin, line over the eye, and round the same, pale brownish-
white; neck, reddish-brown, streaked with black; spots on the
breast more sparingly dispersed; belly, thighs, and vent, pale,
plain rufous, without any spots; primaries black on the outer
edges, pale brown on the inner, and barred with black; legs and
naked thighs very pale light blue or lead-color; the middle toe
connected with the two outer ones as far as the first joint by a
membrane, and bordered along the sides with a thick, warty edge;
lining of the wing dark rufous, approaching a chestnut, and thinly
spotted with black. The male and female alike in plumage, &c.”
This bird resembles somewhat the English curlew, (Scolopax
aquata;) but the difference in the plumage and length of the bill is
sufficient to mark it as a distinct species. The English curlew
weighs about the same with the American; the bill, however, is
two inches shorter. During the season of brambleberries, the cur-
lews sometimes desert the marshes and fens, and resort to the old
fields to partake of this fruit, and are then free from that strong,
sedgy taste which they acquire while feeding on fiddlers, snails,
shell-fish, and other strong food.
These birds, like all their congeners, are very shy and hard to
approach. They are often shot down when in company on the sand-
flats with other less wary fowls; they are easily decoyed, while
flying, by imitating their whistle, with which most of our coast-
shooters are familiar, and who often draw them a considerable dis-
tance from their course by sounding their expressive notes. All sea-
birds should be fired upon while going from us, as they are more
easily killed by striking them with the feathers than against them.
LONG-BILLED CURLEW, OR SICKLE-BILL. 247
The long-billed curlew requires a very hard rap to bring him
down, and will often carry off several large pellets with him. They
usually fly very high and with great velocity, and, when in com-
panies, adopt the wedge form, like ducks.
These birds are pursued upon our coast like other sea-fowls,
either in boats or by tramping over the marshes. A pit dug in |
the marsh adjoming some favorite feeding-ground or point is an
excellent plan to shoot all kinds of bay-fowl.
Another variety of curlew, known as the doe-bird, is often shot
by the bay-shooters; it is smaller than either of the two preceding
varieties. It is also termed the jack-curlew. Its habits are the
same, and it associates with the other two species.
CHAPTER XVIIL
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. CHARADRIUS APRICARIUS.
‘‘(’er the flat marsh we mark the plovers sweep,
And, clustering close, their wheeling courses keep.”
THEIR HABITS, ETC.
LACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, being well
known to most of our sportsmen, are
eagerly sought after wherever they make
their appearance. These birds return
from the South early in May, and re-
main but a short period upon the sea-
coast; they then retire to the high upland
districts to breed and rear their young,
and during this season feed upon berries, grasshoppers, and
various insects, and become very fat and good-flavored. At this
time more particularly they are known as the old field-plover, or
whistling plover. Towards August or September, in company
with the young birds, they resort to the sea-shore, and soon be-
248
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 249
come sedgy from the change of food. The plumage of the young
bird is quite dissimilar to that of the adult bird, in fact so much so
that they are frequently considered a distinct species, and are then
known as the “bull or beetle-headed plover.” Plovers generally
fly high, and keep up an incessant whistling, which being repeated
be the sportsman, the birds are easily decoyed within gunshot.
They are very shy when feeding, and extreme care is requisite to
approach them. When on the sea-shore, they may be shot by the
same artifices resorted to for the killing of curlews or other sea-
birds. When on the open plains, where they are still more difficult
to be got at, the use of a stalking-horse is an excellent plan by
which to circumvent them, and is recommended as a highly suc-
cessful mode of killing them.
A most capital manceuvre, and one adopted by some of our
sporting friends in the country, is to approach them in a careless
manner, either in an old wagon or cart, or on horseback, as they
seldom take alarm at a horse or a vehicle of any description.
Plovers require a very hard rap to bring them down. This
variety is known in England.
As soon as the cold weather sets in, these birds move off to the
South.
DESCRIPTION.
“This species is twelve inches long and twenty-four inches in
extent; the bill is thick, deeply grooved on the upper mandible,
an inch and a quarter in length, and of a black color; the head
and globe of the eye are both remarkably large, the latter deep
bluish-black ; forehead white; crown and hind-head black, spotted
with golden yellow; back and scapulars dusky, sprinkled with the
same golden or orange-colored spots, mixed with others of white;
breast, belly, and vent, black; sides of the breast whitish; wing-
quills black; middle of the shafts white; greater coverts black,
tipped with white; lining of the wing black; tail regularly barred
with blackish and pure white; tail-coverts pure white; legs and
feet a dusky lead-color; the exterior-toe joined to the middle by a
broad membrane; hind toe very small.
250 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
“From the length of time which these birds take to acquire
their full colors, they are found in very various stages of plumage.
The breast and belly are at first white, gradually appear mottled
with black, and finally become totally black. The spots of orange
or golden on the crown, hind-head, and back, are at first white,
and sometimes even the breast itself is marked with these spots,
mingled among the black. In every stage, the seemingly dispro-
portionate size of the head and thickness of the bill will distinguish
this species.”
GOLDEN PLOVER. CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS.
HABITS, NOMENCLATURE, ETC.
THESE birds are more beautiful in their plumage than the latter
variety, but somewhat smaller; they are also far less numerous.
Their habits, however, are pretty much the same, perhaps more
gregarious, as they are often seen in considerable flocks on the sea-
board. The notes of the golden plover are less shrill and piping
than those of the black-bellied plover; they are less timid, and
more easily decoyed. These birds are often taken for the young
of the other variety. They are known as “frost-birds’ in the
neighborhood of New York, from the circumstance of their being
more abundant about the time of the early frosts of autumn, when
they are also in good condition. The golden plover resorts to the
upland meadows in search of berries and grasshoppers, to both of
which it is very partial. The flesh of these birds in the early
GOLDEN PLOVER. 251
autumn is most excellent, and they always command a good price
when exposed for sale in our markets. As the weather gets cold
they pass on to the Far South. They breed in regions beyond the
United States; they are never very numerous in the Middle or
Eastern States, and, their flesh being savory, they are highly
prized.*
DESCRIPTION.
“The golden plover is ten inches and a half long ‘and twenty-
one inches in extent; bill short, of a dusky slate-color; eye very
large, blue-black; nostrils placed in a deep furrow and _ half
covered with a prominent membrane; whole upper parts black,
thickly marked with roundish spots of various tints of golden-
yellow ; wing-coverts and hind part of the neck pale brown, the
latter streaked with yellow; front, broad line over the eye, chin,
and sides of the same, yellowish-white, streaked with small pointed
spots of brown olive; breast gray, with olive and white; sides
under the wings marked thinly with transverse bars of pale olive;
belly and vent white; wing-quills black, the middle of the shafts
marked with white; greater coverts black, tipped with white; tail
rounded, black, barred with triangular spots of golden-yellow;
legs dark dusky slate; feet three-toed, with generally the slight
rudiments of a heel; the outer toe connected as far as the first
joint with the middle one. The male and female differ very little
in color.”
There are several other varieties of plover known to our gunners;
the flesh of the most of them is equally good, and when in season
is highly prized by the epicure. The two above described, how-
ever, are the largest and most distinguished of the species; the
others are known as the ring-plover, piping-plover, kildeer-plover,
Wilson’s plover, grass or field-plover, &c.
The last-named variety, Tringa bartramiana, is not a coast or
* The golden plover frequents tne sea-coast of the Middle and Eastern States in
the spring and early summer; during the autumn they rexort to the prairies and
interior feeding-grounds.
22 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
marsh bird. They are found most commonly on the inland mea-
dows and old upland fields, where they feed on grasshoppers,
beetles, and the various insects that inhabit such situations. They
are very much esteemed by epicures, their flesh being delicate,
juicy, tender, and high-flavored. The whole species are wild,
wary, cunning, and difficult to be approached.
CHAPTER XX.
SEMIPALMATED SNIPE, WILLET, OR STONE-CURLEW. SCOLOPAX
SEMIPALMATA.
HABITS, DESCRIPTION, ETC.
-§ before stated, the snipe family is ex-
tremely numerous throughout this coun-
try, and the number and variety of
birds of this species that flock to our
sea-coast during the summer and autumn
is almost incredible. ,
Among these shore or bay fowls there
is none More conspicuous or more sought
after than the one now under considera-
tion. The shrill and incessant ery of the willet is well known to
253
254. LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
every frequenter of the salt marshes throughout the States ot
New York, New Jersey, and Delaware; and this ‘familiarity with
the peculiar call of this wary bird is turned to terrible account
against them, as they are easily deceived and decoyed within reach
of the treacherous gun by the skilful imitations of the shooters.
The willet is not known in England, nor is there any bird in ©
the country with which it may be said to correspond. Temmick,
however, notices it as an accidental straggler among the birds of
Kurope. Willets come from the South about the middle of April,
and soon make preparations for laying; their nests are built in
the marshes, upon the tussocks and other little eminences of earth
and herbage that are scattered about in the dryer places. The
nest generally contains four tapering dark-colored eggs, which, like
those of the mud-hen, are said to be good eating; in fact, we
know them to be very excellent, as we have partaken of them,
although we did not assist in the destruction of the nests from
which they were filched. This bird, with most others that build on
the marshes, suffers greatly during the period of incubation from
the attacks of crows, weasels and foxes, and other animals, which
devour numberless eggs as well as young willets.
These fowls feed on small shell-fish and the innumerable variety
of aquatic insects and worms found on the marshes; the flesh
consequently is sedgy, though not fishy. Young willets are
juicy and tender, and perhaps more esteemed than any other of
the shore-birds; and, when cooked properly, are quite passable
when no other kind of game is to be had; in fact, we have heard
many of our sporting friends really extol these birds when served
up, and hunt as eagerly after them as if they possessed the deli-
cacy and game-flavor of the woodcock.
Willets remain with us till October and November, and some-
times later, if the weather contiues agreeable. They are shot
during low tide, on the marshes and flats, and when flying are
easily decoyed by imitating their whistle, which is thought to
resemble the following combinations :—Pull-will-willet, pill-will-
willet
WILLET, OR STONE-CURLEW. O55
Shooters most frequently go after these birds in small boats, on
the inlets and guts that intersect the marshes which el in com-
mon with curlews, plover, &c. fr a
DESCRIPTION.
‘Length fifteen inches; extent thirty inches; upper parts dark
olive-brown; the feathers streaked down the centre and crossed
with waving lines of black; wing-coverts light olive-ash, and the
whole upper parts, sprinkled with touches of dull yellowish-white ;
primaries black, white at the root-half; secondaries white, bordered
with brown; rump dark brown; tail rounded, twelve feathers pale
olive, waved with bars of black; tail-coverts white, barred with
olive; bill pale lead-color, becoming black towards the tip; eye
very black; chin white; breast beautifully mottled with transverse
spots of olive on a cream ground; belly and vent white, the last
barred with olive; legs and feet pale lead-color ; toes half-webbed.
“‘Towards the fall, when these birds associate in large flocks,
they become of a pale dun color above, the plumage being shafted
with dark brown, and the tail white, or nearly so. At this season
they are extremely fat, and esteemed excellent eating. Hx-
perienced gunners always select the lightest-colored ones from a
flock, as being uniformly the fattest. The female of this species is
generally larger than the male.’
Willets, as other shore-birds, have a strong affection for their
young, or for a companion in distress, and are ever ready to turn
from their course to offer assistance at the first call fe aid, regard-
less of all consequences.
256 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. SCOLOPAX NOVEBORACENSIS.
HABITS, NOMENCLATURE, ETC.
THIS snipe resembles very much in size and plumage the com-
mon snipe, more particularly when in its winter plumage; it is,
however, altogether different in its habits, as well as in the flavor
of its flesh. The English or Wilson snipe frequents fresh-water
marshes only, while the present species confines itself almost
exclusively to the salt marshes of our Atlantic States. The Eng-
lish snipe is mostly a solitary bird, while the red-breasted snipes
congregate in immense flocks upon the mud-flats and sand-bars.
This snipe, we believe, is known to our coast-shooters as the brown
back, or dowitcher, and we have at times found it more palatable
than any other kinds of sea-bird, although considerably smaller
than the curlew, willet, or plover. Being so much smaller than these
birds, this snipe is not so much sought after as some others; we,
however, neyer let an opportunity pass to bring them to bag,
when on these excursions, oftentimes in preference to the other
birds, which are always far more sedgy, and not unfrequently
fishy besides.
The red-breasted, or, as they are also called, the quail snipes,
arrive on the coast of Jersey from the South on their way to their
breeding-grounds farther north, about the first week in May, re-
main a short time, and then stretch off for the Canadas. ‘Towards
the middle of July they commence returning in increased numbers,
and remain feeding on the marshes till the commencement of the
cold weather, when they take themselves to the South. These
snipes fly in large flocks, and feed in thick masses upon the points,
and will often allow a boat to approach sufficiently near to give
them a raking shot fore and aft, that not unfrequently spreads
death and destruction through the greater portion of their affrighted
ranks. We were present on one occasion when twenty-three of
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. DEBT
these birds were killed at one discharge of a large-sized fowling-
piece; and we have killed, repeatedly, six or eight at a shot.
They are certainly far less wary than most other shore-birds,
and when feeding in company are always the last to take the
alarm; they are easily deceived by the bay-shooters, and ony
fall victims to the treacherous decoys.
Their food consists of small snails, and aquatic insects that are
washed up by the tide.
DESCRIPTION.
“The red-breasted snipe is ten inches and a half long and
eighteen inches in extent; the bill is about two inches and a
quarter in length, straight, grooved, black towards the point, and
of a dirty eel-skin-color at the base, where it is tumid and wrinkled ;
lores dusky; cheeks and eyebrows pale yellowish-white, mottled
with specks of black; throat and breast a reddish-buff color; sides
white, barred with black; belly and vent white, the latter barred
with dusky; crown, neck above, back, scapulars, and tertials black,
edged, mottled, and marbled with yellowish-white, pale and bright
ferruginous, much in the same manner as the common snipe; wings
plain olive, the secondaries centred and bordered with white; shaft
of the first quill very white; rump, tail-coverts, and tail, (which
consists of twelve feathers,) white, thickly spotted with black; legs
and feet dull yellowish-green; outer toe united to the middle one
by a small membrane; eye very dark. The female is paler on the
back and less ruddy on the breast.”’
OTHER VARIETIES OF SHORE-BIRDS.
THERE are several other varieties of the snipe species that sports-
men eagerly seek after while shooting on the sea-shore marshes;
it cannot be expected of us, however, to describe all these birds.
We shall, therefore, be forced to pass them by with two exceptions,
namely, the
17
258 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SCOLOPAX FLAVIPES—YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE; AND SCOLOPAX VOCI-
FERUS—TELLTALE SNIPE, GODWIT, OR GREATER YELLOW-SHANKS
SNIPE.
Bots these birds are well but not favorably known to the market
shooters of Philadelphia and New York, as they are extremely shy
and very vigilant, and often give notice, by their shrill whistle, of the
approach of the pot-hunter when he would not have been observed
by the less wary fowl feeding around. This habit of timely warn-
ing their careless companions of the danger that is encompassing
them has given rise to their respective appellations of Greater or
Lesser Telltale. N: otwithstanding their uncommon vigilance, they
are, nevertheless, often brought to bag, and in the autumn their
flesh is not unfrequently very savory. These birds resemble each
other so very much in their general appearance and plumage that
the difference in their size alone is the most distinguishing charac-
teristic.
WILD-FOWL SHOOTING.
‘But hark! what sound is that approaching near?
‘Down close!’ The wild ducks come, and, darting down,
Throw up on every side the troubled wave,
Then gayly swim around with idle play.”
THIS AMUSEMENT IN AMERICA.
g 1LD-FOWL shooting, though not as popu-
lar or followed with the same zest by the
sportsmen of America as it is by those
of England and other countries, is never-
theless every season attracting increased
attention to its real merits as a manly
and exciting sport; and no doubt, as
the conveniences for visiting our bay
and sea-shores become more widely diffused throughout the various
portions of our Atlantic States, by the opening of new steam-
boat and railroad routes, our pleasure-loving and novelty-sceking
259
260 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
people will flock to the secluded haunts of the wild fowl much
more generally than they do at present. When a fondness for
this kind of sport is once awakened’ among us, we may expect
to see our shooters excel those of any other portion of the world,
owing to the great abundance of this kind of game, the freedom
with which they can pursue it, and the enthusiasm with which they
will take it up. This sport, at present, is almost entirely confined
to the hands of those who follow the occupation of killing wild
fowl not from motives of pleasure or healthful recreation, but as a
means of subsistence for themselves and families; and the tables
of our epicures are generally supplied from this source.
Some few of the New York sportsmen occasionally sally forth
during the ducking season to spend a few days in shooting upon
the neighboring shores, but the sport is not considered sufficiently
enticing to carry them very often on such expeditions. We also
have a few amateurs in Philadelphia who are fond of visiting the -
wild-fowl regions, but none that are very enthusiastic on the sub-
ject, like Colonel Hawker and many other Englishmen, who have
devoted so much time and talent to the perfecting of this branch
of sport.
Duck-shooting, to-be-sure, is no child’s play; but, on the con-
trary, is often attended with many mishaps, great hardships, and
constant exposure to the elements, and withal frequently results
in fisherman’s luck, so often quoted. No true lover of sport,
however, should be intimidated, or, in fact, object to these petty
inconveniences, as it is these very circumstances that afford the
chief enjoyment and give a keener relish to this pursuit, which
will in time inure him both in body and mind for the accomplish-
ment of greater and more lasting benefits than the mere destruc-
tion of game. We cannot expect to arrive at perfection in any
employment without a becoming share of labor and perseverance ;
and in the pursuit of ducks the shooter will find a wide field open
for the exercise of both these virtues, as well as many other qua-
lifications alike necessary for the attainment of nobler deeds. It
is indeed necessary for a sportsman, to enjoy this kind of amuse-
WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 261
ment, to become accustomed to all kinds of hardships,—to care
neither for the peltings of the rain, the driving of the snow,
whistling of the wind, or the freezing of the water. All such
accompaniments to his pursuits must be despised, and not regarded
as barriers to his enjoyments; but, as before intimated, their presence
must be viewed as imparting a keener zest to the pleasure of the
sport. With feelings akin to these, the sportsman is prepared to
enter upon the hardy and exciting occupation of wild-fowl shoot-
ing in all its branches during the cold winter months of our
northern country; and such a choice spirit will derive both plea-
sure and healthful recreation in the pursuit.
It is almost unnecessary to tell the sportsman that he must be
provided with many essentials to assist him in holding the elements
at defiance, and resort to every expedient to protect his ammuni-
tion from dampness, his gun from rust, and his own person from
the effects of the cold and rain to which he will often be exposed
during these excursions. Water-proof boots, water-proof coats,
woollen shirts, drawers and stockings, and warm gloves, are all
necessary accompaniments to a ducker’s wardrobe; and, without
these essentials and a strong heart besides, he had better not enter
upon the rough-and-tumble sport of wild-fowl shooting as followed
by an old campaigner.
A flask of good spirits is also an important accompaniment to
the other necessaries, but which, by-the-by, should be resorted to
as seldom as possible; for the use of liquor during active exercise
often creates an unnatural thirst, which, if imdulged in to an
extent sufficient to produce a flush on the cheek or a glow on the
body, will most assuredly make the eye uncertain or the hand
unsteady, and, moreover, prove otherwise injurious by opening the
pores of the system and making the shooter more susceptible to
the effects of cold. We have spoken more fully on this subject in
our hygienic directions.
ho.
Op
NG)
LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN,
CHESAPEAKE BAY.
«¢ Above, around, in numerous flocks are seen
Long lines of ducks o’er this their favorite scene.”
There is no place in our wide extent of country where wild-
fowl shooting is followed with so much ardor as on the Chesapeake
Bay and its tributaries, not only by those who make a comfortable
living from the business, but also by gentlemen who resort to these
waters from all parts of the adjoining States to participate in
the enjoyments of this far-famed ducking-ground. All species
of wild fowl resort to these waters in numbers beyond credence
or computation; and it is really necessary for a stranger to visit
these regions if he wishes to form a just idea of the wonderful
multitudes and numberless varieties of ducks that darken these
waters and hover in interminable flocks over these favored feeding-
grounds. It is not, however, the variety or extraordinary number
of ducks on the Chesapeake that particularly attracts the steps of
so many shooters to these parts, as there are other rivers and
streams, equally accessible, where wild fowl also abound. But the
great magnet that makes these shores the centre of attraction is
the presence of the far-famed canvas-back, that here alone ac-
quires its peculiar delicacy of flavor while feeding upon the shoals
and flats of these waters. It is in quest of these noble ducks that
so many repair annually to the shores of the Chesapeake and its
numerous tributaries, regardless of the myriads of other fowl
which are seen around on every side. The shooter alone taxes all
his energies for the destruction of this one variety, regarding all
others with contempt, and as hardly worthy of powder and shot.
The month of October has hardly set in before the immense host
of ducks commence arriving from the North in the waters of the
Chesapeake. Among the first of these welcome visitors will be
seen the Anas albeola, commonly known as the butter-ball, and
whose sharp and quick note—quack ! quack ! quack !—is soon heard
throughout the neighboring streams and marshes, as they ever and
anon spring up and dart off with amazing velocity. Now may Le
WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 263
seen the Anas boschas, known as the wild drake or mallard; the
Anas glacialis, south-southerly or long-tailed duck, with its sin-
gular and discordant notes; and a few others. As the season
progresses, the cold blasts of the North bring down in regular
succession the sprightly little Anas mavilla, black-head or blue-
bill; the cunning Anas Americana, American widgeon or ball-pate ;
the poaching Anas ferina, or red-head; the wary Anas Canadensis,
or Canada goose; the graceful Cygnus Americanus, or American
swan; and, last, but not least, the Anas valisineria, or canvas-back.
Now it is that the waters of the Chesapeake are filled to repletion
with the armies of ducks that collect on the flats and shoals where
the juicy blades of the valisineria flourish in the greatest pro-
fusion. Now it is that the shores are thickly strewed with the
remnants of this aquatic plant, pulled up from its soft bed. Now
it is that the waters of the bay are darkened by the flights of the
winged host travelling hither and thither in search of food. Now
it is that the ordinary quiet employments of the residents of these
regions teeming with abundance are abandoned for the more
exciting and lucrative occupation of duck-shooting. Hyery old
musket and rusty fowling-piece is brought into immediate requisi-
tion. All is bustle and confusion among the duckers; and now it
is that the neglected water-dog, who has wandered idly about,
uncared-for and unfed, for the past nine months, is called familiarly
and even kindly to the heels of his selfish master. The bay shore
for miles and miles, long before the dawn of day, is alive with
shooters; and every point is occupied with eager marksmen, who
stand prepared with murderous weapons to give a passing volley
to every canvas-back that heedlessly ventures within range. The
before quiet and peaceful shores of the bay now resound with the
deafening volleys of the toling parties concealed behind the various
blinds erected along the banks, while the guns from the boats and
masked batteries send booming over the placid waters their echoing
notes of death and destruction. The wary canvas-backs, startled
in every quarter, fly here and there, scarcely knowing where to
repose in safety or feed in peace.
264. LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
HINTS FOR DUCKERS.
Wild fowl are ever on the alert, and always ready to take alarm
at the least indication of danger, and therefore must be approached
with the utmost precaution or waited for in the profoundest
silence. The plashing of an oar, the rattling of a pebble, the
rustling of a-leaf, the bobbing up of a head, the exposure of a
leg, the raising of an arm, or the utterance of a loud word, will
often put to sudden flight a whole flock of ducks a few minutes
before feeding in fancied security almost within reach of our
smallest gun; therefore, “‘be as still as death itself, yet watchful
as life can make you.”’
The sense of smell is singularly developed in wild ducks, and,
when approaching them on the water, it is necessary to get to the
leeward of them. Colonel Hawker very justly remarks, on this
point, “In following wild fowl, it is easier to get within twenty
yards of them by going to leeward than a hundred and fifty
directly to windward, so very acute is their sense of smelling.”
This fact of their beg able to scent an enemy a long distance off
is well known to the men employed in attending on the decoy-
ponds of England and France; and, for the purpose of destroy-
ing or counteracting the odor emanating from their persons,
they always hold a piece of burning peat in their mouths when
visiting their nets.
DISTANCES ON THE WATER.
It is very difficult for the inexperienced to judge of distances on
the water, and the eye is consequently often deceived on such
occasions; and a young sportsman not unfrequently will fire away
at wild fowl securely feeding far beyond the reach of a gun double
or treble the calibre of the one he is using, and then express great
astonishment that the load should have fallen far short of the
mark, or, perhaps, have scattered harmlessly in the very midst of
the intended victims. Experience and observation will alone cor-
rect this fault.
WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 265
VELOCITY OF FLIGHT.
When wild fowl are travelling against the wind, it causes them to
fly low and closer together than when going with it. The velocity
with which ducks cleave the air is very great, and argues strongly
the necessity of having the best of guns and ammunition, to be suc-
cessful in this kind of sport. The barrels of duck-guns should be of
sufficient calibre and length to bear a large proportion of powder, ,
so as to throw the shot thickly and with great force to a long
distance. Under ordinary circumstances, unassisted by the wind,
ducks fly at the rate of eighty to one hundred miles an hour, as
has often been proven by actual experiment; and the following
plan, adopted by Major Cartwright, to ascertain this fact to his
own satisfaction, is both ingenious and conclusive in its results,
and we therefore give it in his own words:—‘‘In my way hither, I
measured the flight of eider-ducks by the following method,—viz. :
on arriving off Duck Island I caused the people to lie on their
oars; and when I saw the flash of the guns which were fired at a
flock of ducks as they passed through the latter, I observed by my
watch how long they were in flying abreast of us. The result of —
very many observations ascertained the rate of their speed to he
ninety miles an hour.”’ This celerity of flight is not only wonder-
ful, but seems almost incredible; nevertheless, the fact is well
substantiated by the observations of other writers respecting the
movements of birds even less rapid than those of ducks. For
example, it is not an uncommon occurrence to shoot wild
pigeons (Columba migratorza) in the forests of Canada, with their
stomachs filled with perfect, or rather whole, grains of rice, which
must have been gleaned from the rice-fields of the Southern States,
at a distance, perhaps, of one thousand miles or more from the
spot where they were killed. Now, allowing several hours of
active exercise to be sufficient to digest this article of food, or,
rather, granting the inability of these seeds to resist the action of
the stomach for a longer time than a few hours, it is but fair to
conclude that the birds must have flown with astounding velocity
266 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
to have arrived at such a distance from the rice-plantations even
before its last meal was digested. Still further to elucidate this
subject, we will mention another well-authenticated circumstance
that has already been referred to by more than one writer. It
is stated that a falcon belonging to Henry the Fourth, King of
France, escaped from Fontainebleau, and was captured again at
Malta, a distance of nearly fourteen hundred miles, in less than
twenty-four hours from the time of its liberation from its former
prison. Now, if we suppose this bird to have been in motion
during the whole of the time intervening between its escape from
Fontainebleau and its recapture at Malta, the rate at which it
travelled would exceed sixty miles an hour. This supposition,
however, is neither correct nor rational, as this species of bird
never flies in the night; and we must therefore grant it the hours
of darkness for repose, and calculate the actual velocity of flight
accordingly. Allow, therefore, that the falcon enjoyed eighteen
hours of light, which is more than a fair proportion of the time in
opposition to our argument, and also grant that the bird was seen
the moment of its arrival at Malta, which is also somewhat impro-
bable, the speed with which it must have flown is equal to eighty
miles an hour, or within a fraction of that amount.
CHAPTER XXIII.
F CANVAS-BACK. ANAS VALISINERIA.
‘Now all around us rising trains appear;
Wild whistling wings on every hand we hear;
The alarm of death amid their legions spread,
In files immense they winnow overhead.’’
THEIR HIGH ESTIMATION.
OTH with sportsmen and epicures the
far-famed canvas-back stands forth pre-
eminent for the richness and delicacy of
its flesh; in fact, it is conceded in all
quarters that no wild fowl in any portion
of the globe can vie in flavor with the
canvas-back of the Chesapeake or Poto-
mac. No variety of duck is more eagerly
sought after by the sportsmen of our country, and no viand con-
tributes so largely to enhance the enjoyments of the table among
the luxurious followers of Epicurus as the presence of this delicious
267
268 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fowl, served up piping hot, all redolent with the captivating fumes
of its savory flesh; and, in the words of Wilson, ‘‘ canvas-backs
not only grace, but dignify, the table; and their very name conveys
to the imagination of the eager epicure the most comfortable and
exhilarating ideas.”’
The beautiful appearance, large size, immense numbers, and
juicy tenderness of these ducks, during their stay on the Chesa-
peake and its tributaries, cause them to be persecuted with an un-
relenting ardor by shooters collected from all parts of the neighbor-
ing States, urged on not only by a healthful desire for sport, but
doubly stimulated by the more selfish motive of gain. Although
thousands of these ducks are annually sent to the markets of
Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and even as far south as
Charleston, the demand for them at these places is ever the same;
and the exorbitant price that they readily bring—two or three
dollars per pair—is of itself a sufficient proof of the high estima-
tion in which our citizens hold them.
KNOWN ONLY IN AMERICA.
This duck we are proud to claim as solely American, there being
no fowl as yet described in any portion of the world, except per-
haps the pochard of England, that at all resembles the canvas-
back. This duck, however, is much smaller, and weighs at least
one-third less; and the delicacy of its flesh, though good, is far
inferior to that of our species.
Before going further, we will make the reader familiar with this
beautiful duck by the introduction of Wilson’s description : —
‘<The canvas-back is two feet long and three feet in extent,
and, when in good order, weighs three pounds; the bill is large,
rising high in the head, three inches in length, and one inch and
three-eighths thick at the base, of a glossy black; eye very smalb;
irides dark red; cheeks and foreparts of the head blackish-brown ;
rest of the head and greater part of the neck bright, glossy, reddish-
chestnut, ending in a broad space of black that covers the upper part
of the breast and spreads round to the back; back, scapulars, and
CANVAS-BAOCK, 269
tertials white, faintly marked with an infinite number of tranverse
waving lines or points, as if done with a pencil; whole lower parts
of the breast, also the belly, white, slightly pencilled in the same
manner, scarcely perceptible on the breast, pretty thick towards
the vent; wing-coverts gray, with numerous specks of blackish;
primaries and secondaries pale slate, two or three of the latter of
which nearest the body are finely edged with deep velvety black,
the former dusky at the tips; tail very short, pointed, consisting
of fourteen feathers of a hoary brown; vent and tail-coverts black ;
lining of the wing white; legs and feet very pale ash, the latter
three inches in width,—a circumstance which partly accounts for
its great powers of swimming.
““The female is somewhat less than the male, and weighs two
pounds and three-quarters.* The crown is blackish-brown; cheeks
and throat of a pale drab; neck dull brown; breast, as far as the
black extends on the male, dull brown, skirted in places with pale
drab; back dusky white, pencilled like the back; wings, feet, and
bill as in the male; tail-coverts dusky; vent white, waved with
brown.”
NATURAL HISTORY.
Very little or nothing is known of the canvas-back during the
period of incubation; in fact, the history of the whole duck tribe
during this interesting season is but little known, as they retire at
the breaking up of winter to the far regions of the Arctic, and
there, in those solitudes never trod by the wandering footsteps of
man, they unmolested breed and rear their young.
Audubon, however, informs us that they breed in considerable
numbers on the borders of Bear River, in Upper California; also
December 17, 1849.
* We are just in receipt of two couples of canvas-backs, from the Chesapeake,
the aggregate weight of which is twelve pounds and a half, being three pounds and
an eighth to each fowl; as they are paired, male and female, the weight is rather
unusual. We occasionally hear of a seven-pound couple; but such ducks are very
rare, even in the height of the season. We have seen some couples that weighed
within a fraction of eight pounds; but such are still more rare.
270 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in the marshes and along the banks of streams in many parts of
the Rocky Mountains.
Canvas-backs first make their appearance on our waters in the
months of October and November. During the time of migration
a few are encountered upon the Hudson and Delaware, and other
rivers, but the great body of ducks generally take up their line of
march straight for the Chesapeake and its tributaries, the Susque-
hanna, Potomac, James, Elk, North-East, Bush, Gunpowder, and
some other smaller streams.
It will now be very naturally asked by the uninitiated but in-
quisitive reader, Why do these ducks resort so particularly to the
above-mentioned waters in preference to the hundreds of others
of our noble rivers? This question is easily solved when we in-
form him that a peculiar kind of aquatic plant on which they de-
light to feed grows luxuriantly in these streams, and that it is
seldom or never found in other localities; and, if met with at all, is
generally in such small quantities that it would not furnish food
sufficient for these numberless ducks for more than a few days.
They, therefore, instinctively, or perhaps led by the older members
of the flocks, wend their way from the bleak climes of the North in
a direct course to these favored regions of abundance, and where,
previous to the coming of the white man, the feathered tribes re-
mained all winter, feedmg unmolested and undisturbed by the
never-ceasing reports of the terrible duck-guns which now spread
death and destruction on all sides. When the canvas-backs first
arrive in our waters, they are rather poor and unpalatable, but
soon become fat and juicy, as they are very industrious feeders,
and partake largely of the roots of the valisineria, or wild celery,
which is very tender and extremely nutritious. This species of
aquatic herb, from which the canvas-back so appropriately derives
its scientific appellation, grows in great abundance on the exten-
sive shoals of the Chesapeake, as also on the numerous flats of all
the rivers that empty their waters into this estuary. The plant
attains several feet in height, and has a small white root very much
resembling young celery; and it is upon this delicate portion alone
CANVAS-BACK. OT
that the dainty canvas-back regales his fastidious appetite, dis-
daining the green blades, which are left to float off and strew the
shores of the bay for miles and miles. ‘There are several species
of ducks that are as equally fond of the roots of the valisineria as
the canvas-backs; but, not being as strong as this fowl, they are
not able to dive deep enough to seize the stock sufficiently near the
bottom to insure pulling the plant up by the roots. These ducks,
however, are always seen feeding with the canvas-back, and sup-
ply this deficiency in their physical construction to the adaptation
of their wants by a singular boldness and ingenuity. For acting
the part of skulking poachers, they attentively watch every opportu-
nity to seize upon the dainty morsel the very moment the canvas-
back makes his appearance on the top of the water with the root in
his mouth, and then, swimming off rapidly to a convenient distance,
quietly enjoy the stolen repast, unmolested by their good-tempered
opponent, who soon dives down again for another bonne-bouche.
Among these cunning pilferers, none are more conspicuous than
the red-heads and bald-pates, both of which are always found feed-
ing in company with the canvas-back, and at the height of the
season are not very far inferior to these ducks; and it oftentimes »
puzzles the best judges to distinguish one from the other, when
properly served. We have seen the epicurean taste of some of our
sporting friends put to the test on this point more than once; and
the mistakes which have been made on these occasions are conclusive
evidence of the great similarity in the flavor of these three varieties
of ducks during the particular period that they all feed exclusively
upon the roots of the valisineria.
Although the canvas-backs are excessively fond of the bulbous
portions of the Valisineria Americana, and prefer it to any other
kind of food, they are not solely dependent upon this herbal pro-
duction for subsistence, but are obliged to resort to other species of
aquatic plants when driven from the rivers and flats of the upper
bay, by the large masses of floating ice, into regions where this
vegetable does not grow. When forced by this circumstance to quit
their favorite feeding-grounds, the canvas-backs betake themselves
Dilke, LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.’
far down the bay, where the valisineria is thinly distributed and the
shallows are more generally covered with a different variety of
marine plant, known as eel-grass. At such times, the canvas-
backs, being driven to partake of this rank grass, as well as small
fish and many other less dainty articles of food, soon lose a great
deal of that delicacy of flavor which alone seems to be imparted to
their flesh by the use of this water-celery. If they should be con-
fined to a different diet for any considerable time, their flesh be-
comes sedgy and savorless, and is not much superior to many
other varieties of sea-coast fowl.
The fact of the fondness of the canvas-back for this bulbous
root, and the knowledge of the peculiar savor imparted to their
flesh by partaking of it, has been turned to useful account by
some of our intelligent agriculturists, who coop and feed the com-
mon domestic duck upon the tops and roots of the garden celery
for a few days previous to killmg them, which plan is said to
much improve their flavor and altogether destroy that rankness
which is often observable in the barnyard fowl. A friend of the
author, who has fattened ducks in this way, assures him that it was
almost impossible. to distinguish some of them from wild ones,
their taste being so much improved.
The canvas-back extends its migrations as far south as Florida,
and is known at New Orleans under the somewhat singular appella-
tion of “‘canard cheval.’’ They are much esteemed in that city
for their delicacy, but are said to be far inferior to those killed on
the Chesapeake. Canvas-backs are often met with in the markets
of Charleston and Savannah; but they are commonly very poor,
insipid, and at times fishy, and not as much esteemed late in the
season as either mallards or teal. We are informed by a friend that
these ducks are very numerous in Galveston Bay, and at times are
most excellent eating.
In the neighborhood of New Orleans the canvas-backs resort
to wet prairies and fresh-water ponds, where they feed upon the
seeds of various plants, more particularly those of the wild oats
and water-lily. This kind of food being somewhat analogous to
CANVAS-BACK. Pat)
that which they partake of in the Chesapeake Bay, it is not im-
probable that the canvas-backs of that particular region may be
but a trifle inferior to those shot on the fresh-water shoals of the
North, where the Valisineria Americana flourishes in such pro-
fusion. 3
THEIR SHYNESS.
The canvas-back is an extremely shy and wary fowl, and very
difficult to approach, except by means of some cunningly-devised
stratagem, as there are always sentinels on the look-out for in-
truders, whether the mass of ducks be sleeping at night or feeding
during the daytime. When on the water, they may be distin-
guished at a great distance from other ducks by their constant
habit of diving, and when on the wing they fly in a wedge-like
form, with considerable velocity, and generally at a great height.
When wounded, they dive very deep and swim immense distances
under water, thus baffling every effort of the most skilful dogs to
overtake them; and the sagacious animals that are trained to this
kind of sport are perfectly aware of this circumstance, as they
seldom or never show any disposition to go after wounded canvas-
backs; for they know full well, from hard-taught experience, the
utter impossibility of catching them, no matter how fast they may
swim or how deep they may dive in the pursuit.
MODES OF TAKING CANVAS-BACKS.
In detailing the various schemes and describing the innumerable
contrivances that the ingenuity of man has prompted him to adopt
for the purpose of circumventing and destroying this much-prized
duck, we will, ere finishing the subject, have pretty much ex-
hausted the whole material appertaining to wild-fowl shooting; as
it is to the taking of this particular variety that the energies of
18
O74 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the whole shooting craft are devoted in those portions of the
country where they, in common with numberless other ducks,
congregate. |
TOLING DUCKS.
We will first speak of a most curious process resorted to by the
shooters on the Chesapeake Bay, at the beginning of the season,
for the purpose of decoying canvas-backs from the flats within
gunshot of the sportsmen, who lie concealed from observation
behind blinds erected all along the shore at convenient intervals.
This practice we have already described in our edition of ‘‘ Youatt,”’
under the head of Newfoundland Dog, and as there put down will
transfer it to these pages, with some additional observations :—
‘“‘This may not be an inappropriate place to speak of the won-
derful mode of decoying ducks, termed toling, so extensively
practised upon the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, where
the canvas-backs and red-heads resort in such quantities every
autumn. A species of mongrel water-dog, or often any com-
mon cur, is taught to run backwards and forwards after stones,
sticks, or other missiles, thrown from one side to the other along
the shore. In his activity and industry in this simple branch of
education, within the comprehension of any dog, consists the
almost incredible art of toling the canvas-back. With a dog of
this character, the shooting party, consisting of several persons, all
prepared with heavy double-barrelled duck-guns, ensconce them-
selves at break of day behind some one of the numerous blinds
temporarily erected along the shore contiguous to the feeding-
grounds of these ducks.
“‘Hvery thing being arranged and the morning mists cleared -
off, the ducks will be seen securely feeding on the shallows not less
than several hundred yards from the shore. The dog is now
put in motion by throwing stones from one side of the blind to the
other. This will soon be perceived by the ducks, who, stimulated
by an extreme degree of curiosity, and feeling anxious to inform
themselves as to this sudden and singular phenomenon, raise their
heads high in the water and commence swimming for the shore.
Lh)
CANVAS-BACK. Zo
The dog being kept in motion, the ducks will not arrest their pro-
gress until within a few feet of the water’s edge, and oftentimes
will stand on the beach, staring, as it were in mute and silly asto-
nishment, at the playful motions of the animal.
“If well trained, the dog takes no notice whatever of the ducks,
but continues his fascination until the quick report of the battery
announces to him that his services are now wanted in another
quarter; and he immediately rushes into the water to arrest the
flight of the maimed and wounded, who, struggling on every side,
dye the water with their rich blood.
‘“‘The discovery of this mode of decoying ducks was quite acci-
dental, being attributed to a circumstance noticed by a sports-
man, who, concealed behind a blind patiently awaiting the near
approach of the canvas-backs, observed that they suddenly lifted
up their heads and moved towards the shore. ‘Wondering at this
singular and unusual procedure on the part of this wary bird, he
naturally looked round to discover the cause, and observed a young
fox sporting on the river-bank; and the ducks, all eagerness to
gaze upon him, were steering their course directly for the shore.*
“These ducks will not only be decoyed by the dog, but will
often come in by waving a fancy-colored handkerchief attached to
the ramrod. We have seen a dog fail to attract their attention
till bound around the loins with a white handkerchief, and then
succeed perfectly well. The toling season continues about three
weeks from the first appearance of the ducks,—often a much shorter
time, as these birds become more cautious, and are no longer
deceived in this way. The canvas-back toles better than any
other duck; in fact, it is asserted by some sportsmen that this
particular variety alone can be decoyed in this mode. ‘There are
* Be this as it may, this peculiar faculty of fascination on the part of the dog
has long been known and practised on the decoy-ponds of England, to a much
more limited extent, to-be-sure, but still sufficient to show that these wild-fowl
shooters, or rather netters, understand the whole bearing of the operation. For
further information on the subject we refer our readers to Bewick’s account of the
decoy-ponds,
276 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
always numbers of other ducks feeding with the canvas-back,
particularly the red-heads and black-heads, who partake of the
top of the grass which the canvas-back discards after eating off the
root. These ducks, though they come in with the canvas-backs
when toled, do not seem to take any notice whatever of the dog,
but continue to swim along, carelessly feeding, as if intrusting
themselves entirely to the guidance of the other fowl.
‘¢As far as we have been able to judge, we are inclined to this
opinion also, and do not recollect ever having succeeded in toling
any other species of duck unaccompanied by the canvas-back,
although we have made the effort many times. These ducks are a
very singular bird, and, although very cunning under ordinary
circumstances, seem perfectly bewildered upon this subject. We
were one of a party several years since who actually succeeded
in decoying the same batch of ducks three successive times in the
course of an hour, and slaying at each fire a large number. We
counted out over forty at the conclusion of the sport.
‘“‘ Although the toling of ducks is so simple in its process, there
are few dogs who have sufficient industry and perseverance to
arrive at any degree of perfection in the art. The dog, if not
possessed of some sagacity and considerable training, is very apt
to tire and stop running when the ducks have got near the shore
but too far off to be reached by the guns, which spoils all, as the
birds are very apt to swim or fly off if the motion of the animal
is arrested for a few moments.’’*
Since writing the above, we have been assured by an experienced
and somewhat veteran sportsman that both the black-heads and
the red-heads tole with the same facility, and the former duck, if
* On some particular days, even in the midst of the toling season, without any
apparent reason, the toler is obliged to relinquish his sport, as no artifice on the
part of the dog will induce the ducks to come m, although on the preceding day
they may have exhibited the greatest eagerness to satisfy their curiosity on this
point. The immediate cause of this fickleness on the part of these fowl it is difficult
to explain, as it cannot be attributed to any sudden change in the weather or other
concomitant circumstances which most generally influence the actions of the
feathered race.
CANVAS-BACK. hae
any thing, even more easily than the canvas-backs. From further
observation and more minute inquiry on the subject of toling, we
are now inclined to think that very nearly all varieties of the
wild fowl can be decoyed in the way above described; but at the
same time we are more than ever convinced that the canvas-back
is more susceptible to this strange influence than any other duck
on our waters. The reason why we were at first led to suppose
that the canvas-back alone could be influenced by these playful
motions of a’ dog was owing to the circumstance of our never
having at that time toled wild fowl on other waters than the Chesa-
peake, where the canvas-back is always to be seen feeding during
the ‘shooting season in company with all the other varieties that
flock to this favorite resort; and we had not perhaps considered
how seldom it was that a bed of ducks could be seen on these
waters that did not chiefly consist.of canvas-backs, as the most of
the other varieties keep company with these ducks for the purpose
of feeding on the refuse of the celery which they, by their superior
strength and dexterity, are enabled to pull up from the bottom of
the rivers. We consequently may have been perfectly correct in
our assertion ‘“‘of never having succeeded in toling any other spe-
cies of duck unaccompanied by the canvas-back ;” but at the same
time our inferences may have been entirely wrong, when we con-
sider how seldom a bed of ducks is seen on these waters that is not
principally composed of canvas-backs. And, moreover, when we
consider the acuteness of vision and the never-ceasing watchful-
ness of the canvas-back, we need not be at all surprised that they
should be most generally the first to notice the dog or the first to
take the lead in the general movement towards the shore,—all the
other ducks apparently following, although they may be equally
under the magic influence.
This plan of killmg ducks, though practised by all the gentry
as well as pot-hunters who frequent the bay-shore, is not altogether
recognised as a sportsmanlike way of bagging game, and is for-
bidden on some of the grounds in possession of the clubs that meet
during the shooting season at different points in the bay. Against
278 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the utility of this regulation we will not venture an argument. The
gentlemen composing these associations no doubt have good reasons
for their restriction. We must confess, however, that we see no
impropriety nor any thing unsportsmanlike in thus decoying this
wary fowl within reach of our guns, more particularly in positions
where all other modes of getting at them would surely fail; but,
on the contrary, we have always found a great deal in the sport to
admire, as it is not unfrequently attended with a high degree of
pleasurable excitement, while witnessing the playful antics of the
dog operating so strangely upon his bewildered and silly victims
that so soon pay the forfeit of their idle curiosity in death. And,
moreover, if we desired to act the part of a sage, we might also
draw a pretty moral from the incident, in demonstrating to our
brother sportsmen that a foolish and idle curiosity even in the brute
creation often results in disastrous consequences to the parties
concerned.
Along some shores on the Gunpowder and Bush Rivers, exclu-
sively devoted by their proprietors to toling, the season for this
sport continues very late, as the fowl are seldom or never disturbed
upon their feeding-grounds far out in the stream, where they
take immediate refuge after being fired at and remain in per-
fect security till enticed again within gunshot; and this may be
accomplished several times during the same day, and the slaughter
consequently is often enormous. This method of killing ducks is less
injurious in its effects upon the movements of wild fowl than any
kind of boat-shooting that can be practised, as it never disturbs
them on their feeding-grounds, but attacks them only when fool-
ishly wandering away from their usual secure haunts.
The proper and most destructive moment to shoot ducks, when
they have been toled, is when they present a side-view.
Duck-dogs, when behind the blinds along the bay-shore, mark
the flight of wild fowl as anxiously as the sportsman himself, and
often by their manner give evidence of the approach of ducks
before they are observed by those on the watch for them.
CANVAS-BACK. 279
BOATING DUCKS.
Another method of killing canvas-backs is that of boating them
on their feeding-grounds in small skiffs, either in the daytime or
during the still hour of night. The latter plan, of course, is the
most destructive and terrifying to the fowl.
A large swivel, carrying several ounces of powder and a pound
or more of shot, is placed on the bow of a light boat, and, by
means of muffled oars and under cover of the darkness, it is carried
into the very midst of the sleeping ducks, and, being fired into their
thick columns, great numbers are destroyed as well as crippled.
This plan of killing wild fowl, however, is very generally repro-
bated by all respectable parties interested in this sport, and is very
properly restricted by legislative enactment. Notwithstanding,
however, the general discountenance of the community and the
severe penalties threatening the participators in this cruel plan
of butchery, many unprincipled poachers, who shoot for the mar-
kets, boldly resort to this expedient to fill their slender purses,
in spite of all law and the universal execrations of those who live
in the neighborhood of the bay. These impudent and reckless
fellows know full well the inefficiency of all such laws, owing to
the disinclination, or rather want of energy, on the part of the
people to enforce them; for, without the assistance of those in-
terested in such matters, all legislative enactments in reference to
the preservation of game soon become obsolete, and the laws are
no more than a dead ietter.
Strong efforts, however, were made at the last session of the
Maryland legislature to do something towards the protection of
the wild fowl on the Chesapeake, by the suppression of the surface-
boats and the use of large guns; but the enactment was of little
avail as regards the surface-boats, owing to some unlooked-for
defect in the framing of the act, and we now learn that there is
some probability of its being repealed altogether, which we very
much regret: we would much rather see it made more rigid and
then strictly enforced.
280 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Nothing is better calculated to drive ducks from their accustomed
feeding-grounds than the practice of boating them at night; for,
being disturbed during their wonted hours of repose and security
by an unforeseen enemy, they soon learn that there is no safety
for themselves under any circumstances, and have been known to
abandon such places almost entirely after being shot at two or
three times in the quiet of the night, when perhaps the whole flock,
perfectly unconscious of danger, were wrapped in deep sleep.
Boating ducks on their feeding-grounds, even with small guns
during the daytime, will soon drive them from their accustomed
haunts, and force them to find other spots at a distance where they
can remain undisturbed. All modes of boating ducks are con-
demned by the sportsmen visiting these parts, as well as by those
who reside in the vicinity of the bay-shore.
NETTING DUCKS.
A very ingenious way of taking canvas-backs was resorted to a
few years since by a gentleman living on the bay, and which cer-
tainly, for its novelty, requires some notice on our part. This
plan consisted in sinking gilling-nets a short distance below the
surface of the water, so that the ducks in diving would get their
heads and wings entangled in its meshes, and thus miserably perish
by drowning.
Great numbers were secured by this method at first; but the
canvas-backs soon entirely forsook the shoals where these nets
were placed, and did not return to them again during the same
season. But what brought this method more particularly into dis-
repute, even among pot-hunters, was the circumstance of the ducks
secured in this way being so far inferior to those which were shot,
owing to their being drowned and remaining so long a time under
the water, as the placing of the nets occupied so much time and
labor that it would not pay to examine them oftener than once in
twenty-four or forty-eight hours; and many of the ducks, conse-
quently, were under the water during a greater portion of this time.
The flesh, under these disadvantages, became watery and insipid, and
CANVAS-BACK. 281
the ducks, moreover, were very hard to keep, except in excessively
cold weather, on account of their bodies absorbing so much water.
The whole system of gilling ducks is now entirely abandoned, and
we only mention it as one of the things that have appeared and
passed away. ‘This method, however, of taking ducks is not alto-
gether new, as a somewhat similar plan is resorted to on the coast
of France for taking the scoter-duck, which little fowl resorts in
considerable numbers to the sea-coast for the purpose of feeding on
the shell-fish that there abound. The fishermen, or those engaged
in taking wild fowl, spread their nets at low tide on the flats where
these shell-fish are found, beng supported two or more feet from
the ground, so that the ducks, feeding in with the tide and diving
after food, become entangled, as in the case of the canvas-backs,
in the meshes of the net.
DUG-OUTS.
Another very successful mode of killing ducks, and one which
has been very much in vogue for many years on our rivers, is the
use of the dig-outs or dug-outs,* a small kind of boat moored over
the flats, and concealed as far as possible from observation by
quantities of eel-grass thrown over it. Thus fixed, and surrounded
by large numbers of decoys that are previously anchored all around
the little vessel, the shooter patiently awaits the approach of the
wild ducks which are flymg up and down the river, and are, of
course, tempted to dart down upon the deceptive decoys, believing
them to be others of their own species that are feeding in perfect
security, notwithstanding the proximity of the greenish mass which
conceals the shooter and his boat. As soon as the canvas-backs
have come sufficiently near, the shooter rises up suddenly and
blazes away with his ponderous weapon, dealing death and de-
struction throughout the affrighted ranks of his unsuspecting
victims.
* So termed from being constructed by excavating the trunk of a large tree suffi-
ciently deep to allow the person of the shooter to lie concealed in it.
982 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
When the weather is favorable and the ducks are flying, this
plan succeeds very well, and offers considerable attractions in the
way of sport to those accustomed to wild-fowl shooting; but if the
weather be cold and boisterous, none should attempt it but those
inured to the roughest usage and who are perfectly regardless of
the state of the elements.
THE SURFACE-BOAT; COFFIN-BOAT;
BATTERY; SINK, OR BOX.
ee UG-OUTS have been entirely superseded
-_, during the three or four past seasons, on
the waters of the Chesapeake, by the in-
_ troduction of the surface-boat, as repre-
/~ sented in the above engraving.
This ingenious machine has many local
appellations. Those in most general use will
be seen at the heading of this article, and
at the close of it the reader will find explicit directions, together
with a skeleton model of the same to be used as a guide in building
one for his own use.
The boat is anchored out on the feeding-grounds, surrounded by
innumerable decoys, resembling as much as possible the canvas-
backs, and so balanced in the water that the most observant eye
283
\
284 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
can hardly distinguish them from the living fowl, as they ride
gently on the surface and appear to be employed in feeding, owing
to the constant motion of their heads and body imparted to them
by the quiet rippling of the water.
The construction of this skiff is such that when anchored out,
loaded with the shooter, his ammunition, and the necessary ballast,
the water is on a level with the deck of the box; and when re-
clining, the occupant and all his paraphernalia are entirely con-
cealed from observation, insomuch that it is next to impossible to
distinguish any portion of this curious ambush, even when within
a few hundred feet of it. We have often been amazed when gazing
on the water in the direction of the flats, to see a black figure rise
up suddenly, as if from the deep, and blaze forth a destructive
volley into a flock of ducks about to alight, and then immediately
sink again from view. The shooter, having delivered his well-
directed fire, quickly reloads his gun or guns, and throwing
himself again on his back, awaits another opportunity to repeat
the sport, which almost immediately follows, provided the day be
favorable for the flying of wild fowl. It is better, in fact usual, to
have two or more double-barrelled guns in the sink, as a great
many ducks are only winged at the first discharge, and need re-
shooting to secure them.
Thus, in rapid succession, immense numbers of canvas-backs, as
well as other wild fowl, are killed, and the water for a hundred
feet or more is crimsoned with the rich blood and covered with the
mangled bodies of this far-famed duck. Those engaged in this
profitable way of killig canvas-backs are always accompanied by
a companion in a light sail or row boat, who keeps at a respectful
distance, for the purpose of watching over the safety of his associate
as well as running down upon the adjacent feeding-grounds and
putting the ducks to flight, so that they may chance to join the
decoys that are set to allure them as they pass up and down the
feeding-shoals. On the flats in the coves near to Havre de Grace
and Spesutia Island, where this method of shooting ducks has been
more particularly practised during the last three seasons, there is
CANVAS-BACK. 285
but little or no current during calm weather, and therefore is
singularly suitable for this kind of sport. The ducks, after being
shot, will remain nearly in the same place where they dropped for
a considerable time without drifting away; the shooter, therefore,
pays no heed to them until he has a large number killed, when he
makes a signal to his companion to come and pick them up.
The amount of ducks killed in this way during the four past
seasons is enormous,—almost beyond belief.
We are credibly informed that Mr. W. W. Levy, a ducker well
known on the Chesapeake Bay for his skill in this particular sport,
has killed as many as one hundred and eighty-seven ducks in one
day, and during the seasons of 1846 and 1847 actually bagged
seven thousand canvas-backs.
This system of killing ducks, we believe, was introduced on the
Chesapeake Bay by some of the experienced wild-fowl shooters
from the vicinity of New York, and who now reap a rich harvest
from their hardihood and ingenuity. It is no unusual thing for
one of these men to kill as many as fifty couples of canvas-backs
in the course of a day; and if the weather prove favorable for
this kind of shooting, they have been known to fill a small vessel
with ducks in two or three days, which they immediately despatch
for the markets of New York, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. These
worthies that pursue wild fowl for a living usually make their
appearance on the Chesapeake Bay in small yachts, or rather ill-
looking sloops, in which they live and stow away their plunder,
seldom or never visiting the neighboring shores, knowing full well
the reception they most likely would meet with from the hands of
those residents who also kill ducks during the winter season to
sell, and consequently, from selfish motives alone, are very testy
and jealous of those rights which the legislature has endeavored
to guarantee to them, but which they from a lack of principle and
moral energy are incompetent to enforce by legal measures.
When the wind is blowing pretty fresh and the ripple high, the
ducks are more apt to notice the decoys than on perfectly mild
days, and are also more likely to alight among them. When ducks
286 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
are approaching the battery, the distance at which they are from
it is often very delusive, insomuch that the inexperienced sports-
man will find himself continually rising up to shoot before the fowl
have got over the decoys, and even long before they have come
within fair shooting range. This act of “‘rising up’’ too soon on
the part of the shooter is a common fault with the beginner, and is
fatal to his success in most instances; as the ducks, immediately
on his appearance, take the alarm, and, making a sudden turn,
sheer off in time to save themselves.
Ducks should be shot after they have alighted, or just when
dropping their legs in the act of settling on the water, and not a
moment sooner.
HEAD
ce
DESCRIPTION OF THE MODEL, WITH PARTICULAR DIRECTIONS FOR
BUILDING A SINK, OR BATTERY.
A, A. The box in which the shooter lies concealed.
s. A rim of sheet-lead extending entirely around the box, to prevent the
ripple from washing in upon the shooter.
c, c, c. Another rim of sheet-lead, as a still further protection from the
ripple.
D, D, D, D. The platform, or false deck surrounding the box, supported by
carlings.
E, E, E, E, E, E, E, E, E. Muslin sheeting, or canvas, stretched over the wooden
frames running around the platform.
CANVAS-BACK. 287
r. A board or frame attached to ec by leather hinges.
c. Another board or frame, secured to the deck by strong iron hinges.
H,H, H,H,H, H,H,H. Leather hinges, securing the frames (on which the
canvas is tacked) to the platform or deck.
1, 1. Wrought-iron hinges, constructed with arms, so as to allow the end-
wing to fold over the side-wings, which are first drawn in upon the deck
when the battery is to be removed from its position.
K, K, K, K. Ropes extending from the extremities of the frames, and to
which the canvas is also attached: this arrangement permits the wings to be
folded more readily upon the deck.
L, L. Points at which a rope is passed through the carlings supporting the
deck, to the middle or bight of which rope the cable of the head-anchor is
attached.
m. Point at which the foot-anchor is attached to the carling supporting the
deck.
Having given, we trust, a satisfactory explanation of the model,
we will now proceed to give some special instructions as to the
building of the battery. The timber most usually employed is
one-inch white pine, except in the case of the head and foot of
the box, which should be made of two-inch oak, or some other
hard and durable wood. The side-boards and bottom of the box
are attached to the head and foot; and the strength of the box,
as well as the deck, is in a great measure dependent upon these
oaken timbers.
The carlings, or small beams which support the platform or deck,
are also made of oak, one and a half inch thick, five inches wide
in centre, reduced at their extremities to one and a half inch, and
secured to the ends and sides of the box by means of screw-bolts
or large wrought nails.
The length, width, and depth of the box must of course be
proportioned to the size of the shooter; for an ordinary-sized
individual, the following dimensions are amply sufficient :—
FEET. INCHES.
LEGGING HAN TON8 Bl 00). ae SeaeRE ROR STE eins enn ete PM thy ER PAE Orne
Depth Pe Wis pae mats Saclelia. AatcUchersaeineMecaaua enahuuhisiet 1 BS
Wether EET Fat tp ane tise ie ner sctaelee mote tne 2
Warltiianes ics atubottoms,.4 ibs dibss.ce. hewn ls 48
Hength of platform or deck............cs<s:ccoeesonees 12
Width Aa RSet ek ARE oem ge 7
-
288 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
FEET. INCHES.
Width of the frames to which the canvas is
tacked... <5. ies emacen eee Jeebe Gatabeancuee ose teresa Petes §
Width of boards Fr and G, each.............s0seeeecceee 8
Width of canvas wing at the head................... 9
The deck is not a perfect plane, but declines, or rather is graded
off, from the box on every side to the extent say of one inch. This
slope or dip of the deck permits the ripple to wash or play over
the platform the more securely, having a constant tendency to the
edges instead of the centre, where the box is placed,—the opposite
of which would be the case if the deck was a dead level.
The entire edge of the box is slightly elevated above the surface
of the deck,—say an eighth to a quarter of an inch; to this edge
the inner rim of sheet-lead is tacked, extending entirely around
the box, and, being very pliable, is raised up at an angle of forty-
five degrees just before launching the battery into its position on
the shooting-grounds, which precaution will prevent the ripple from
washing into the box.
The outer rim of sheet-lead ©, c, c, it will be observed, does not
extend entirely around the deck, that being totally unnecessary,
from the circumstance of the sea or ripple seldom or never being
sufficiently violent to break over the foot or sides so as to endanger
the comfort of the shooter; and when such should be the case it
is time for the ducker to decamp for more secure quarters.
The head of the battery, it will be seen, has two eight-inch
boards. The inner one G, as explained above, is attached to the
deck by stout iron hinges I, I, made with projecting arms, so that
the whole head-wing may turn in upon the two side-wings, which
are first folded up when the box is about being removed from its
position. The other frame F is secured to & by strong leather
hinges, as well as the balance of the frame to which the canvas is
tacked.
The head of the battery is always anchored to the breeze, and,
as a matter of course, is obliged to sustain the principal shock
from the wind and waves, and of necessity is made differently as
well as much stronger than the foot, by the addition of the frame-
CANVAS-BACK. 289
work F and @, and which, from their peculiar construction and
attachment to the solid platform, oppose a pliabie but at the
same time safe resistance to the shock of the waves.
It is most important to know exactly how to attach the anchors
to the battery, more particularly the one at the head; for without
proper precaution on this point the whole machine would ride
most unpleasantly to the shooter at the slightest puff of Old
Boreas.
To explain this more fully, we have caused two points or dots
—L, L—+to be placed on the model at the head of the box, to show
the position of the ends of the rope to which the anchor is
attached, and have defined above the manner in which the cable
of the anchor is to be secured to the beght of this rope.
The advantages of this arrangement should at once be obvious
to the greenest landsman; for the head of the platform, being in a
measure free from restraint, is permitted to rise and fall with the
swell of the sea, with an easy motion, thus protecting the shooter
from the disagreeable consequences of the waves breaking in over
the deck, which would be the inevitable result if the anchor was
attached to the extreme end of the platform; as the head of the
battery, during a heavy blow, would be pulled entirely under
water, and the whole machine, even during a comparative calm,
would be subjected to a jerking, disagreeable motion.
The position of the foot-anchor we have designated by the point
M, and requires no further explanation.
At the bottom of the box there is a false bottom, or drainage-
board, which takes up an inch and a half of the original depth.
Notwithstanding this additional loss of space, there is still sufficient
room remaining of the thirteen and a half inches not only to ac-
commodate, but absolutely to hide below the surface of the plat-
form, the shooter himself, as well as the sheepskin or buffalo-robe
upon which he reposes.
As to the amount of ballast necessary for a battery such as we
have described, that must be regulated by the state of the wind
and waves, and other circumstances; it will vary, however, from
19
290 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fifty to one hundred and fifty pounds, increasing from the lesser to
the greater amount in proportion to the violence of the elements.
Portions of iron pigs are most convenient for ballast.
When these batteries are intended to be occasionally towed out
to their position on the flats, they should be made sharp at the
stern or bow by the addition of a false cut-water; otherwise it will
require heavy pulling to get themalong. Most, if not all, of those
in the hands of the regular bay shooters are made square at the
ends, and, thus constituted, answer their purposes perfectly well,
for they move them from point to point only by hauling them on
board of their large row or sail boats, which convey the whole
party on these expeditions.
On looking at the drawing, several decoy-ducks will be noticed
on the platform. The bodies of these ducks are reduced in bulk, or,
in other words, are shaved down to one-third of their original thick-
ness, and permanently fixed to the deck at suitable intervals, with
movable heads, which are slipped on and off at pleasure by the
ducker, as he takes his position in the box or retreats from it.
The number of decoys set out around the battery is not often less
than two hundred, and most generally two hundred and fifty, or
even more. Hach decoy has a string several feet long attached to
it from a loop in the breast, and to the end of each string is tied a
small piece of leaden pipe or other convenient metal, or even a
fragment of stone sufficiently heavy to anchor the decoy and pre-
vent its floating off from its position.
The arranging or putting out of so great a number of decoys
around the battery, on a cool, blustering December morning, is no
child’s play, we can assure the uninitiated reader, and is only
equalled, or rather excelled, in point of discomfiture, by the pro-
cess of taking them up again in the evening, when it is necessary
to wind the wet and half-frozen strings around each one to prevent
entanglement when placed together in the boat.*
* Decoys made of solid blocks, such as are universally used, can be had of
duckers on the bay, if ordered during the idle season, at a moderate price, ranging
from twenty to thirty dollars a hundred,
CANVAS-BACK. 291
A small pad or pillow for the head to lie on should be placed at
the top of the box, and in severe weather the shooter will find a
woollen helmet, vizor, or mask, a very comfortable contrivance to
protect him from the cold blasts.
We were formerly under the impression that much danger was
to be apprehended from the accidental sinking of these batteries ;
but we are now satisfied, from further observation and the expe-
rience of old duckers who have used these machines properly con-
structed, (for the early ones were susceptible of much improvement, )
that our fears are rather gratuitous.
Mr. W. W. Levy, of Havre de Grace, to whom we are indebted
for a rough but very complete drawing of a battery from which
the above sketch was taken, as well as much other valuable in-
formation upon this subject, assures us that a box built such as we
have described could not, by actual experiment, be made to sink
below the surface, when filled with water, loaded with two hundred
and fifty pounds of pig iron and the addition of two stout men.
This experiment we cannot but consider a very extreme one,
and the result most conclusive; and we shall no longer hesitate in
recommending our sporting friends to consign themselves, without
hesitation or fear, to one of these cunning machines whenever a
fitting opportunity presents itself.
The ease with which one of these batteries rides on the surface
of the bay, even during a heavy blow, is very remarkable; we
have been quite comfortable in them, when it required two strong
oarsmen to row a light gunning skiff.
2
292, LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
AMBUSH ON THE FLATS.
We noticed last season a very simple but at the same time
rather ingenious contrivance erected on the flats in Elk River,
from which to shoot ducks. We have never seen any thing of the
kind before, but presume something similar may have been adopted
elsewhere by others.
This ambush or ddind, as all such contrivances are termed in
this particular section, was constructed in this wise :—
Some shooters, taking advantage of low tide, had driven into
the soft mud, in the very centre of the widest expanse of feeding-
ground, and in the very path of the ducks as they flew up and
down the river, four strong posts, forming a square.
These ‘posts or piles were perforated on their upper portion,
which extended far above low-water mark, with large holes of
sufficient capacity to permit the introduction of long hickory pins,
which passed entirely through and projected several inches from
the inside. Upon these pins thus secured was placed a light
frame, sufficiently strong, however, to bear the weight of the
shooter, who lay there completely concealed from observation by
a profusion of cedar brush and eel-grass piled around him.
The numerous holes in the posts were necessary for the purpose
of raising up and letting down the framework to suit the state
of the tide, which was very easily accomplished before the sports-
man took his position.
This particular kind of blind was especially adapted for this
river, as the narrow steamboat-channel is marked out in its whole
course by long poles thrust into the mud on either border, each
one of which was surmounted by a heavy piece of cedar-brush,
with which the ducks soon become familiar while feeding, and
therefore take no precaution to avoid while flying, which also was
the case with the blind; and most excellent shooting at times
was thus obtained from this cunningly-devised ambuscade.
The flats or feeding-grounds on Elk River are quite extensive,
and occasionally attract enormous hosts of wild fowl, more espe-
CANVAS-BACK. 293
cially when they have been greatly harassed by the boats and
batteries on the Susquehanna and Chesapeake, as both these modes
of warfare are strictly interdicted upon this stream. : During the
season of 1850, we had considerable sport shooting over decoys off
the points on Elk River, the weather being mild, and the ducks,
both canvas-backs and red-heads, being more numerous than we
had ever before witnessed them on this water.
STOOLING OFF POINTS.
Another method of killing ducks by means of decoys is to anchor
them off a short distance from some one of the many points along
the bay or river-shores, more particularly on those points in the
narrows of Spesutia Island. When the canvas-backs are flying
and the weather is not too severe, this plan affords most excellent
sport, and great numbers may be killed. This kind of shooting
requires the assistance of a dog; and none but a Newfoundland or
other hardy water-spaniel of some good breed will be able to stand
the work, if the weather is very cold; as the frequent plunging
into the water chills and stiffens the animal to such an extent that
he is often barely able to walk or swim.* |
When the weather is very calm and the surface of the river
remains unruffled by a breeze, although the ducks may be flying,
they will not dart to decoys, more especially off points, as readily
as if they had a certain degree of motion imparted to them by the
gentle ripple of the waters.
For when perfectly still the decoys, no matter how well made or
proportioned, lose that lifelike appearance which they present when
bobbing up and down as if in the very act of feeding; and, con-
sequently, are wanting in their chief attraction for the ducks that
may be on the wing in quest of more secure and fruitful feeding-
places.
* Decoys made of solid blocks of wood are preferable to those made hollow; they
are less expensive and not so easily injured by the shot, and also require far less
gentle handling. From fifty to one hundred are necessary for point-shooting,—the
more the better.
294 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
We have before us a late number of the Spirit of the Times,
which contains an excellent article on duck-shooting, wherein is
described a very ingenious plan adopted by the writer for impart-
ing this particular motion to the decoys on a still day; and, as the
expedient is quite novel as well as practicable, we shall transfer
the description of it in the words of the author to these pages,
feeling sure that it will prove serviceable to some of our sporting
friends under like circumstances :—
‘¢ Ducks not decoying well on calm days, of which we had quite
a number in December, we hit upon a somewhat novel expedient
to attract their attention to our decoys. A dozen stakes of about
two feet in length were firmly driven into the soft bed of the river,
at a distance of some forty yards from the blind, so that at low-
water their upper ends were quite a foot beneath the surface.
Through the tops of these stakes, on which we had bored holes of
an inch in diameter, having rings of stout iron wire inserted in
them to prevent chafing, were passed strings of the proper length,
one of the ends of which was carried into the blind, while the others
were attached to the necks of the decoy-ducks. These latter were
anchored by heavy anchors at such a distance from the stakes that,
when pulled upon by the strings, the anchors remaining firm, they
were suddenly drawn head-foremost beneath the water, represent-
ing very fairly the diving of the real fowl. The ends of the strings
within the blind were attached to small sticks, four in number,
being three to each, and one person could thus manage at the same
time all or a portion of the decoys.
‘Around these divers, (as we termed them,) which were scattered
over a considerable extent of water, were set the usual number of
decoys, taking care to place the latter so as not to interfere with
the action of the strings of the former. Not being aware of its
ever having been tried before, we were exceedingly anxious about
the result of our experiment; and on the first calm day, all being
prepared, we looked anxiously for the appearance of a flock of
ducks with which to test its success. A bunch of canvas-backs
passing down the river soon came in sight, but holding their way
CANVAS-BACK. 295
so far out that we despaired of attracting their notice. When
directly opposite, however, we commenced vigorously working our
divers, and, to our surprise and delight, the flock immediately
turned in, and, passing back and forth two or three times, came
up most beautifully.
“This success at once settled the question of the utility of our
device, and during the whole of this day, on which there was not
sufficient wind to ruffle the surface of the water, we had excellent
sport, many fowl passing up and down the river, and almost every
bunch that were not too far off to see our decoys came up fear-
lessly and without hesitation ; with single ducks, or when only two
or three were together, we were invariably successful. Day after
day, the weather being mild and calm for this time of the year,
we tried it with complete success, and to this simple expedient we
owed decidedly the best portion of our shooting; its excellence
existing not only with regard to the canvas-back, but also to the
red-head and scaup-duck. The success with which we met was
owing partly to the exceedingly natural appearance of the decoys,
for this number of divers scattered through some seventy or
eighty gave the semblance of life to the remainder, and, creating
a ripple on the water, made them show much better; besides this,
ducks passing at a distance frequently do not see decoys, and a
slight motion among the latter is at once sufficient to draw their
attention ; this done, their coming up to such well-gotten-up affairs
follows almost as a matter of course.’’*
HOLES IN THE ICH.
As the season advances, ducks are frequently obliged to abandon
their favorite feeding-grounds in the upper bay, owing to the large
masses of floating ice that are constantly coming down the Susque-
hanna and the smaller streams they are wont to frequent. The
canvas-backs are now driven to great extremes to procure food,
* See Spirit of the Times, February 5, 1853.
296 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
and are almost constantly on the wing in quest of suitable spots
to dive down for the still tender roots of the valisineria.
At this juncture, a cruel advantage is taken of the half-starved
condition of the poor canvas-backs to entice them within the reach
of the murderous guns of those who lie in ambuscade upon the
shores of the Gunpowder, Bush, Elk, and the many other smaller
streams which are now frozen over. A large hole of many feet in
diameter is cut in the ice directly over some choice feeding-shoal,
sufficiently near, however, to the land to allow of its beg raked
by the guns of those concealed behind a blind erected on the
shore. Large numbers of wild fowl, more particularly the canvas-
backs, may be killed in this way, and the shooter can li still and
bang away at the ducks all day long, as they will oftentimes con-
tinue coming and going as fast almost as he can load, provided
they are driven to the extremity we have mentioned above. These
seasons of scarcity are not by any means unusual; and a friend
of the author informs him that he has killed as many as one
hundred and fifty canvas-backs over one of these feeding-holes in
one day on the Gunpowder River.
POINT-SHOOTING.
Several of the above plans of shooting ducks may be said to be
illegitimate ways of sporting, although pursued indiscriminately
by all those of our friends who participate in wild-fowl shooting.
The really sportsmanlike way of killing canvas-backs, however, is
for the shooter to station himself on some one of the many points
or bars along the bay-shore or its tributaries that the ducks fly
over in their course to and from their feeding-grounds. Much
depends, in this kind of shooting, upon the disposition of the ele-
ments; for neither pleasure nor success can be reasonably ex-
pected if the weather is intensely cold or the wind blowing fresh
from a quarter that carries the ducks off from the point rather
than on it.
On the other hand, if the wind and weather prove favorable
and the ducks are flying briskly, there is not a more delightful way
CANVAS-BACK. 297
of enjoying one’s self than in point-shooting. Great skill and
judgment are requisite to strike the ducks; and when thus sud-
denly stopped in their rapid course, they present a beautiful sight
as they come tumbling down with a heavy plash from a height of
one, two, or even three, hundred feet.
It is this kind of duck-shooting that either displays the igno-
rance or dexterity of the sportsman; for, without long practice
in this particular branch, the best general shooter in the country
would appear to little advantage alongside even of an indifferent
ducker.
The principal sites on the Chesapeake Bay where sportsmen
resort for this kind of pastime are the points immediately about
Havre de Grace, the Narrows of Spesutia, a few miles farther
down, Taylor’s Island, Abbey Island, Legoe’s Point, Marshy Point,
Bengie’s Point, Robbins’s and Ricket’s Point, Maxwell’s Point,
and Carrol’s Island. There are also some good points about Elk
and Northeast Rivers, and a few on the western shore.*
Carrol’s Island has long been in possession of a club of sports-
men, who regularly resort to this favorite spot during the ducking
season, and seldom return home without being heavily laden with
the rich spoils of their skill. Not only canvas-backs, but the
larger species of wild fowl, are killed at Carrol’s Island. Numbers
of swans and geese are seen flying about these points; and the
ambitious sportsman will often have an opportunity to bring down
with his steady hand the most majestic as well as the most beautiful
of all the feathered race. If any of our readers should feel this
* There is a considerable difference between bar-shooting and point-shooting. The
latter we have already described; and, to make the former intelligible to our read-
ers, we must premise our remarks by stating that, along the shores of the Chesa-
peake, the land stretching out into the bay to form these shooting-points is often a
mere narrow peninsula, termed a bar, over which the ducks are constantly passing
and repassing to their feeding-grounds, without going out of their usual course to
weather the points, as they would do under ordinary circumstances; most of the
shooting, therefore, is perpendicular, and consequently far more difficult than
when shooting directly off the point. Maxwell’s Point is thus formed by a very
narrow strip of land. The shooting-points on the Elk River are Locust Point,
Plumb Point, Little and Big Welsh. Nearly all these shooting-points are rented out.
298 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
laudable ambition—and where is the tyro who will not ?—we trust
that he may prove more successful than we did at our début upon
swan-shooting; having, much to our mortification, fired both bar-
rels of a heavy duck-gun from behind an ambush into a noble flock
of sixteen swans quietly feeding on the water within sixty yards
of us, without even as much as rumpling a single feather of their
plumage. But then there was a reason why, as all sportsmen have
good excuses for their bad shooting; at all events, they strive very
hard to concoct plausible ones, by which to gull their companions.
But in this case, unfortunately for our credit as a marksman, the
gun was neither strange, bad, nor overloaded; neither did it snap,
hang fire, overshoot nor undershoot its mark; but the plain and
simple fact is—shall we have recourse to so hackneyed a plea ?—to
cut the matter short and solve the mystery, we had no number BB
shot in the barrels, one of our companions having drawn the charge
the night before, by way of affording himself some amusement at
our expense on the following day.
Jokers, however, often get hurt with the recoil of their own
weapons; and so it was in this case. As we were entirely alone,
and separated from the projector of this trick when we fired at the
swans, we suspected something wrong, and did not relate the cir-
cumstance till after he had confessed drawing the load and ex-
pressed a desire to know the result of our first two shots; and then,
greatly to his chagrin, he learned that we might have had added
to our lot of ducks several noble cygnets, if he had restrained
his silly propensity to make us a laughing-stock for the company.
Such an opportunity to distinguish ourself in the field of wild-fowl
shooting we never again expect to meet with, as we are satisfied
that we should have killed, on this occasion, not less than six
swans, and perhaps more; for they were all huddled together in
such a manner, when we drew on them, that hardly one could have
escaped from the effects of our fire.*
* We do not mean to assert that we might have bagged the whole sixteen by one
“coup de fusil,” or even with two; but we do say, most positively, that scarcely one
could have gotten off without carrying a few pellets of shot with him.
CANVAS-BACK. 299
ART OF SHOOTING DUCKS.
We have now nearly drawn to a close the whole subject of wild-
fowl shooting; but little remains to say further, except, perhaps,
an effort on our part to instruct beginners in the art of shooting
ducks, both on the wing and water. Without some instructions on
this head, and a great deal of practice besides, we can assure the
most determined tyro that he would make but a poor show of
shooting among the skilful duckers of the Chesapeake. He might,
however, stand an equal chance with the oldest of them, provided
he could ever be so fortunate as to meet with canvas-backs in the
same predicament that a correspondent of the Sprit states that
some punters found a flock of black and gray ducks on the ice of
Little Creek, in Canada; that is, too fat to fly, and wanting in
energy sufficient to get out of the way when pursued.
The particulars of this sporting incident being so very curious
and unique, we think it worth while to transfer to our pages the
extract of the letter containing the details, leaving it for naturalists
and sportsmen to explain the phenomenon as they best can. As
for ourselves, we do not feel inclined to believe that ducks could
become too fat to fly, in the month of December, in the bleak
regions of Canada, and doubt very much whether such an occur-
rence could be so general under any circumstances, no matter how
plenty the most nutritious food might be. Might not the singular
conduct of these fowl be attributed rather to sickness produced by
some unnatural cause, or perhaps the eating of some deleterious
substance forced upon them by the severity of the weather? How-
ever, here is the extract; we give it as we find it:—
“‘ By-the-by, talking of cold, I have a most extraordinary cir-
cumstance to tell you in the sporting way. ‘Two punters last week
went to the Long Island marsh, which has been for some time
frozen up, for the purpose of trapping. Walking along the ice near
the creek,—I think called Little Creek,—they saw a great number
of ducks on the ice, and crawled up very cautiously to get a shot.
They were, however, much surprised, on coming near them, to find
300 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
that they did not appear at all alarmed, and concluded that they
must be frozen, or something of the sort; they consequently did
not fire, but continued to approach until they caught one. Upon
this the others scattered, but did not attempt to fly; and a chase
ensued, which ended in the capture of no less than seventy-six, all
black and gray ducks, and one wild goose. The next day they
came across some more in the same way, and took thirty-four: in
all, one hundred and eleven. Did you ever see or hear the like of
that ?—a novel sort of duck-hunting! The birds were actually so
fat that the punters attribute their success in taking them to their
inability to rise in consequence.”
Canvas-backs fly with great strength and velocity, and require a
heavy blow to bring them down; if winged only, it is almost use-
less to pursue them either with a dog or in a boat, as they dive
with so much celerity, and swim such great distances under water,
that itis next to an impossibility to overtake them, or even to
shoot them if within gunshot, as they only come to the top of
the water for an instant, and duck down again before a snap-shot
could get a range on them even with a light partridge-gun, let
alone a heavy duck-gun. Dogs accustomed to duck-shooting soon
learn this fact, as before stated, and will not be induced to follow
after a wounded canvas-back if able to dive. The shooter will
therefore see at once the importance of striking canvas-backs in a
vital spot. The head and neck are the portions we should always
endeavor to hit, as a single pellet of shot lodged in these portions
of the body will do as much execution as a half-dozen imbedded in
the breast or other fleshy parts. ‘To accomplish this, many cir-
cumstances must be taken into consideration, and must be run over
in one’s mind at a moment when there is not a second to ponder
on the subject. For example, we should be able to tell at a glance
the probable distance the ducks are from us, their height, the velo-
city with which they are flying, the course they are pursuing, Xe.
&c.; for without a just appreciation of all these particulars we
shall be very apt to shoot over them, under them, before them, or
behind them. This kind of rapid mental calculation, though very
CANVAS-BACK. 301
troublesome at first, will soon become a kind of intuitive habit by
practice, and the gun will be found almost of itself to take the
proper direction, seemingly unguided by any special will of the
shooter. ;
FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
Never shoot at ducks as they are coming towards you; wait till
they are on a line with your person, or till they have passed you,
as it is almost impossible for shot to penetrate through the thick
plumage of a duck when presented in this position. As the ducks
are approaching, raise your gun, take sight on them, and follow
the foremost with the eye and weapon until they come immedi-—
ately overhead, or rather in a line parallel with your body; then
slide the gun with a quick motion a short distance in front of
the flying column, being careful, however, to preserve its range
directly in their course, and fire without stoppmg the motion of
the arm.
The distance which the gun is thus thrown before the ducks de-
pends entirely upon their probable distance from the shooter, the
velocity with which they are flying, and the other points already
alluded to above, all of which must be ascertained in a moment of
time, when the eye is resting upon the birds along the barrel of
the gun. One or two feet will nearly always be necessary to
insure success in bringing down canvas-backs, and sometimes even
as much as ten feet is not too far in advance, if the wind is
blowing fresh and the ducks travelling before it, as they most fre-
quently do. It should always be borne in mind that most ducks
302 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fly with amazing velocity; and the great error committed by all
beginners, and even, by experienced shooters, is that they deliver
their shot behind the bird. The range of the sight should be
rather above than below the ducks, to prevent the pellets from
fallmg too low before reaching their proper destination. The
various points on the narrows of Spesutia Island are perhaps the
most frequented of all localities in the upper bay for duck-shooting ;
and it is seldom that the sportsman will be disappointed in visiting
these grounds, as the ducks are passing up and down these waters
nearly all day, but more particularly in the morning and afternoon.
Canvas-backs commence flying very early, and it is necessary for
the sportsman to be up and on the ground betimes, as he will have
an opportunity of trying his skill as soon as it shall be light
enough to see the ducks which he will hear moving over his head in
uninterrupted numbers for an hour before daybreak. The morn-
ing flights continue an hour or two after dawn, although, as before
stated, many ducks keep in motion all day long; but the greater
portion of them are busily engaged feeding after this time, and, if
flying, endeavor to avoid these exposed points, where they have
every reason to apprehend danger. Canvas-backs, in fact, are
disposed to keep clear of the shores at all times; but when impelled
by a strong breeze that sets them towards these points, they are
not easily turned from their course, it not being often necessary to
employ any kind of device to screen the sportsman from observa-
tion, provided he remain motionless until the ducks have come sufli-
ciently near to be in range of the gun. It is better that the dress
should not be too conspicuous: a drab overcoat and cap of the
same color is the most suitable for concealment; and, if possible,
station yourself against a bush, tree, or some dark object, if there
are no blinds erected.
When the canvas-backs are flying fast and in great numbers, an
eager sportsman had better take two guns with him, and have an
assistant to load while he fires; and in this way he will get double
the number of shots, without the hurry and excitement of charging
fast.
CANVAS-BACK. 303
Captain Hawker very justly remarks:—‘‘ Never look up while
loading; you can do no good by it, and you will only put yourself
in a flurry, and perhaps break your ramrod. If your man, (assist-
ant,) knowing you have no gun loaded, says, ‘ Look out, sir!’ why
—I had almost said—knock him down.”
TO SHOOT DUCKS SITTING.
Having learned the art of shooting flying, the tyro may feel
disposed to treat with contempt any endeavor on our part to teach
him so simple a thing as to shoot wild fowl while sitting on the
water, within, we will say, fifty or a hundred yards of our ambush.
Nevertheless, we can assure him that it is not such an easy matter
as he supposes, and he will upon trial soon find to his satisfaction
what we say to be true; and, without paying proper regard to our
instructions on this point, he will often have the mortification of
seeing the ducks escape from his fire, when he ought by due
management to have killed at least a dozen or more. It seems to
be a very simple thing to point the gun in a direct range of a flock
of ducks, and cut a complete lane, as it were, through their ranks
with a heavy charge of powder and shot; but such, unfortunately
for the tyro, is not the case. The young sportsman generally
commits one of two errors in shooting wild fowl; that is, he either
undershoots or overshoots the game, according to the distance they
are from him. If within thirty, forty, or fifty, or even seventy
yards, the shot almost invariably passes over the ducks; if beyond
this distance, the load most frequently falls far short of the in-
tended mark.
When the shot is first impelled from the mouth of a large duck-
gun held on a level, it has an upward tendency from a point-blank
range, which it preserves for an indefinite distance, according to
the quantity of powder used and the force with which the weapon
shoots. When it has reached a certain distance it begins to lose
the upward impetus, and, therefore, must fall sooner or Jater
before losing entirely its projectile force. Any one can easily
ascertain this fact by trying the experiment on the water, if not
304 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
convinced of it by previous observation. This being the case, the
force of our assertion. will be readily seen; that is, when the ducks
are but a short distance off, the load will most likely pass over the
spot within the point-blank range of the gun and be distributed
some distance beyond; while, on the other hand, the ducks being
much farther off, the shot will most likely fall short of their in-
tended destination, or, in other words, drop within the point-blank
range of the eye.
When the ducks are a short distance from our station, the
foremost ones, if there be many, should be in full relief over the
sight of the gun; and then, most probably, if shooting on a level,
as is most frequently the case on the shores where wild fowl are
pursued, the leader of the troop which we select for our guide will
escape from the dire effects of our volley, that shall spread death
and destruction in his rear.
If, on the contrary, the ducks are a long distance off, be sure
that the foremost ducks are entirely under the range of the barrels,
and then we shall most likely rake the front and middle columns,
if not sweep the whole mass. For other information regarding
shooting ducks, we refer to our chapter on wild-fowl shooting in
general, and beg to close the present subject, as some one has
done before us, with the spirited lines of Wilson, descriptive of
the shooting of these celebrated birds.
‘‘ Slow round an opening point we softly steal,
Where four large ducks in playful circles wheel.
The far-famed canvas-backs at once we know,
Their broad, flat bodies wrapped in pencilled snow;
The burnished chestnut o’er their necks that shone,
Spread deepening round each breast a sable zone.
Wary they gaze; our boat in silence glides ;
The slow-moved paddles steal along the sides ;
Quick-flashing thunders roar along the flood,
And three lie prostrate, vomiting their blood!
The fourth aloft on whistling pinions soared ;
One fatal glance the fiery thunders poured ;
Prone drops the bird amid the dashing waves,
And the clear stream his glossy plumage laves.”
CANVAS-BACK. 305
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE NUMBERS OF DUCKS UPON CHESA-
PEAKE BAY.
‘Still files of ducks in streaming thousands pour;
At every bend their rising torrents roar.”
Notwithstanding the immense multitude of canvas-backs which
annually resort to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, they are
now said to be far less numerous than they were some years ago.
Of this fact we are not able to judge, but feel satisfied that the
species, although killed in numbers still greater than they have
been heretofore, can never become extinct, as some persons appre-
hend. The greatest safeguard to the continuation of the whole
duck race is the circumstance of their breeding in regions so
remote. They are besides so prolific, that every succeeding au-
tumn will bring down to their former haunts a wonderful increase
to the great numbers of those that necessarily escape the general
massacre. The large and increasing demand, however, for ducks
from the Chesapeake in particular, and the ingenious methods
resorted to to kill them, will no doubt eventually drive the larger
portion of the canvas-backs from their favorite feeding-grounds,
and thus cause them to become more widely dispersed over the
whole country. The comparative scarcity of them on these waters
will, perhaps, induce the erroneous belief of their speedy extinction;
but such a thing we deem impossible, owing, as already stated, to
the habits of the whole duck tribe during the period of incubation.
During the season of 1850 and 1851, canvas-backs were very
plenty, and, owing to the unusual mildness of the weather and
the consequent increased slaughter of them from the surface-boats,
they were sold at unprecedented low prices in our markets.
The early portion of the season of 1854 and 1855 was equally
prolific of the feathered race, insomuch that greater slaughter of
wild fowl was made on the flats of the Chesapeake and its numerous
tributaries than in any previous year. No less than three thou-
sand head of various kinds of ducks were killed in the vicinity of
Havre de Grace alone on the first day which the duckers in a body
20
3806 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
agreed to make use of their batteries. The temperature during
the months of October and November of the following season of
1855 and 1856 being uncommonly moderate, but few canvas-backs,
comparatively speaking, made their appearance on the Chesapeake
before December. The weather soon after becoming intensely cold,
and continuing so for several weeks, the destruction of ducks on
those far-famed feeding-grounds was necessarily quite limited in
comparison with the preceding years, and all descriptions of wild
fowl sold in our markets at very high prices.
CHAPTER XXIX.
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF DUCKS.
RED-HEADED DUCK, OR RED-HEAD. ANAS FERINA.
‘¢ Beyond a point, just opening to the view,
A fleet of ducks collect their scattered crew;
Part, soon alarmed, with sudden splattering, soar,
The rest, remaining, seek the farther shore.”
HABITS, DESCRIPTION, ETC.
2 HE red-head, second alone in delicacy of
flavor to the canvas-back, will now claim
our attention. It frequents very much
the same grounds with the preceding
variety, although not so exclusively
wedded to the waters of the Chesapeake
but that it can be found in other
localities in considerable profusion, even
during the luxuriance of the valisineria. The red-head, like the
poachard, or bald-pate, feeds on the blades of the water-celery,
307
308 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
when it cannot filch the tender roots from the canvas-backs. It
is often shot in the Delaware, Hudson, and other rivers, and visits
the streams of the South as the winter progresses. The flesh of
these fowls is so near akin to that of the canvas-backs, that the
most delicate palate can hardly distinguish one from the other; and
we have seen many amusing mistakes made by persons professing
to be able to tell one duck from the other when served for the
table.
“The red-head is twenty inches in length and two feet six
inches in extent; bill dark slate, sometimes black, two inches
long, and seven-eighths of an inch thick at the base, furnished
with a large broad nail at the extremity; irides flame-colored ;
plumage of the head long, velvety and inflated, running high
above the base of the bill; head, and about two inches of the
neck, deep glossy reddish-chestnut; rest of the neck and upper
part of the breast black, spreading round to the back; belly white,
becoming dusky towards the vent by closely-marked undulating
lines of black; back and scapulars bluish-white, rendered gray by
numerous transverse waving lines of black; lesser wing-coverts
brownish-ash; wing-quills very pale slate, dusky at the tips; lower
part of the back and sides under the wings brownish-black, crossed
with regular zigzag lines of whitish; vent, rump, and tail-coverts,
black; legs and feet dark ash.” The female has the upper part
of the head dusky brown, and the plumage generally is not so
bright as that of the male.
The red-head weighs from a pound and a half to two pounds.
This duck resembles very closely the poachard, red-headed
widgeon, or dun-bird, of England, and is considered by many as
the same identical bird. ‘The description of the one corresponds
very much with that of the other, as will be seen by the following,
taken from Daniel. ‘‘The poachard is about the size of a widgeon,
weighs one pound twelve ounces; its length is nineteen inches;
breadth two feet anda half; the bill is broader than the widgeon’s,
of a deep lead-color, with a black tip; irides orange; the head
and neck deep chestnut; the lower part of the neck and breast,
RED-HEADED DUCK, OR RED-HEAD. 309
and upper part of the back, dusky black; scapulars and wing-
coverts nearest the body of a grayish white, elegantly marked
with narrow lines of black; the exterior wing-coverts and quills
dusky brown; the belly ash-colored and brown; the tail consists
of twelve short feathers of a deep gray; the legs lead-colored.
The female has the head of a pale reddish-brown,” &c.
From the above description, and the investigations of naturalists,
we are led to suppose that these two birds are identical; and there-
fore it will not perhaps be deemed irrelevant to the subject to in-
troduce a short history of the plan pursued in England for the
capture of this fowl upon an extensive scale :—
“These birds (poachards) are eagerly sought by the London
poulterers, under the name of dun-birds, as they are deemed ex-
cellent eating. The greater part of what appear in the markets are
caught in decoys; but the construction and mode of working is
perfectly distinct from that wherein the other wild fowl are taken.
A decoy for dun-birds is called a flight-pond, and has nets fastened
to tall stout poles twenty-eight or thirty feet long; at the bottom
of each pole is a box fixed, filled with heavy stones, sufficient to
elevate the poles and nets the instant an iron pin is withdrawn,
which retains the nets and poles flat upon the reeds, small willow
boughs, or furze; within the nets are small pens made of reeds,
about three feet high, for the reception of the birds that strike
against the net and fall down; and such is the form and shortness
of wing in the poachard, that they cannot ascend again from their
little enclosures if they would; besides, the numbers which are
usually knocked into these pens preclude all chance of escape
from them by the wing. A decoy-man will sometimes allow the
haunt of dun-birds to be so great that the whole surface of the
pond shall be covered with them previous to his attempting to take
one. Upon such occasions, he bespeaks all the assistants he can
get, to complete the slaughter by breaking their necks. When all
is ready, the dun-birds are roused from the pond; and, as all wild
fowl rise against the wind, the poles in that quarter are unpinned,
and fly up with the nets at the instant the dun-birds begin to leave
310 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the surface of the water, so as to meet them in their first ascent,
and are thus beat dewn by hundreds. At the pond of Mr. Burton,
at Goldanger, in Essex, as many poachards have been taken at one
drop as filled a wagon, so as to require four stout horses to carry
them away; and the lower birds in the pens have been known to
be killed and pressed entirely flat from the numbers of their com-
panions heaped above them by the fatal stoppage of the poles and
nets.”
ANAS AMERICANA. AMERICAN WIDGEON, OR BALD-PATE.
HIS fowl, like the red-head, during its
sojourn on the Chesapeake and Potomac,
is the constant companion of the canvas-
back, upon whose superior skill in diving
it depends for a supply of the tender root
of the valisineria, which it filches from
these ducks as soon as they come to the
top of the water with it in their mouths.
The bald-pates, as these ducks are most commonly called on the
Chesapeake, are not far inferior in flavor to the canvas-back, and
when in good order it is not easy to distinguish them from the
above duck. Those killed on other streams, though excellent
eating, will not compare with those that feed on the flats of the
Chesapeake. Widgeons are extensively scattered throughout the
whole of our Atlantic States, and are abundant in some of the
West India islands; they are well known in the Delaware Bay.
311
at ey LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
DESCRIPTION.
“The widgeon, or bald-pate, measures twenty-two inches in
length and thirty inches in extent; the bill is of a slate-color; the
nail black; the front and crown cream-colored, sometimes nearly
white, the feathers inflated; from the eye backwards to the middle
of the neck behind extends a band of deep, glossy green, gold, and
purple; throat, chin, and sides of the neck before, as far as the
green extends, dull yellowish-white, thickly speckled with black;
breast and hind-part of the neck hoary bay, running in under the
wings, where it is crossed with fine waving lines of black; whole
belly white; vent black; back and scapulars black, thickly and
beautifully crossed with undulating lines of vinous bay; lower part
of the back more dusky; tail-coverts long, pointed, whitish, crossed
as the back; tail pointed, brownish ash; the two middle feathers
an inch longer than the rest, and tapering; shoulder of the wing
brownish ash; wing-coverts, immediately below, white, forming a
large spot; primaries brownish ash; middle secondaries black,
glossed with green, forming the speculum; tertials black, edged
with white, between which and the beauty-spot several of the
secondaries are white.
‘‘The female has the whole head and neck yellowish-white,
thickly speckled with black, very little rufous on the breast; the
back is dark brown. The young males, as usual, very much like
the females during the first season, and do not receive their full
plumage until the second year. They are also subject to a regular
change every spring and autumn.”
This fowl, it will be seen, resembles the English widgeon,
-whewer, or whim, both in appearance and habits. The American
variety is, perhaps, a little heavier, and the plumage richer.
Widgeons do not feed much during the day, but remain listlessly
on the sand-flats or hidden among the herbage of the marshes; but
as soon as night comes they are in motion, and may be heard repair-
ing in considerable numbers to the various feeding-grounds which
they are wont to frequent. These fowl are very abundant on the
AMERICAN WIDGEON, OR BALD-PATE. 313
coasts of Great Britain, and the numbers slaughtered in the course
of a season by the’ sportsmen and fowlers are enormous. They are
much esteemed in London, and eagerly sought after by the poul-
terers as a ready article of sale. They are pursued by the English
punters almost entirely by night; they lie in wait for them in those
situations which they are most likely to visit or pass over in their
course to the feeding-grounds. The best weather for this sport is
a clear, windy, half moonlight night, provided the wind does not
blow from you, as the ducks may smell you: in fact, it is always
necessary to get to the leeward of wild fowl of all kinds, as their
power of scenting is very great. The English variety is easily
‘domesticated in places where there is plenty of water, and are
much admired for their beauty, sprightly look, and frolicsome
manners.” The same is said of the American widgeon.
Bald-pates can be decoyed within gunshot by imitating their
peculiar shrill note; are not apt to dart at decoys off points, ex-
cept in foggy weather. They are migratory, and breed in the
North, on the coast of Hudson’s Bay; they visit the ricefields of
the South during the winter in considerable numbers, and are much
esteemed by the planters as an article of food.
For further information on the subject of widgeon, we beg to
refer the reader to Colonel Hawker, the Magnus Apollo of wild-
fowl shooting, as he has very justly been styled.
ANAS BOSCHAS. MALLARD, OR WILD DRAKE.
ALLARDS are widely disseminated over
almost every habitable portion of the globe,
and their flesh is alike esteemed im all
parts; and wherever they make their ap-
pearance, sportsmen resort to all kinds of
expedients to secure them. At a glance,
it will be seen that the wild drake is the
original stock from which is sprung the
-puddle-duck of our barnyards, as they differ but little in plumage
and general form. The wild bird, however, is a much more noble-
looking fowl than those of the same race that have been enslaved
by man; and instead of the silly, discordant quack! quack!
quack! lazy waddle, inactive life, and singular propensity for
dabbling in the filthy oozes of the stable-yard, common to our do-
mestic duck, they pursue a cunning, silent, active, and free life.
314
MALLARD, OR WILD DRAKE. 315
DESCRIPTION.
“The mallard, or common wild drake, is so universally known as
scarcely to require a description. It measures twenty-four inches
in length by three feet in extent, and weighs upwards of two
pounds and a half; the bill is greenish yellow; irides hazel; head,
and part of the neck, deep, glossy, changeable green, ending in a
narrow collar of white; the rest of the neck and breast are of a
dark purplish chestnut; lesser wing-coverts brown-ash; greater
crossed near the extremities with a band of white, and tipped with
another of deep velvety black; below this lies the speculum or
beauty-spot, of a rich and splendid light purple, with green and
violet reflections, bounded on every side with black; quills pale
brownish-ash; back brown, skirted with paler; scapulars whitish,
crossed with fine undulating lines of black; rump and tail-coverts
black, glossed with green; tertials very broad, and pointed at the
ends; tail, consisting of eighteen feathers, whitish, centred with
brown-ash, the four middle ones excepted, which are narrow, black,
glossed with violet, remarkably concave, and curled upwards to a
complete circle; belly and sides a fine gray, crossed by an infinite
number of fine, waving lines, stronger and more deeply marked as
they approach the vent; legs and feet orange-red.
“The female has the plumage of the upper parts dark brown,
broadly bordered with brownish yellow, and the lower parts yel-
low ochre, spotted and streaked with deep brown; the chin and
throat, for about two inches, plain yellowish-white; wings, bill,
and legs, nearly as in the male.
‘““The windpipe of the male has a bony labyrinth, or bladder-like
knob, puffing out from the left side. The intestines measure six
feet, and are as wide as those of the canvas-back. The windpipe
is of uniform diameter until it enters the labyrinth.”
Like most wild fowl, the mallard breeds in the Far North,
and makes its appearance in the autumn among the first of our
ducks. It is common throughout all our rivers and fresh-water
lakes, but is seldom met with on the sea-coast. As the winter
316 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
progresses, large numbers continue South, and take up their abode
among the ricefields cf the Carolinas, where they become very fat
and particularly palatable. Their flesh, at all times when the wea-
ther is not very severe, is good, as they feed on vegetable matter
in preference to any other kind of food, and only partake of fish
when they cannot obtain any thing else.
Mallards are easily brought within gunshot by means of decoys,
used in the way already described under the head of canvas-backs.
They are numerous at times on the Delaware, and numbers are
killed by shooters hiding themselves in boats and the reeds within
range of their stool-ducks, which are set out on the edge of the
reeds. They are very fond of the seeds of the wild oats that
flourish so profusely on the flats of the Delaware, and their flesh
soon becomes delicate and juicy.
In England and on the Continent many singular contrivances
have been invented to entrap these birds; and so successful are the
fowlers now in this lucrative business that many hundreds are
often taken at one draw of the net.
The most destructive way of trapping mallards is the plan
adopted on the decoy-ponds of England and France, a full account
of which may be found in Bewick’s British Birds.
by
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ANAS DISCORS. BLUE-WINGED TEAL.
LUE-WINGED TEAL are among the
first of the water-fowl that, visit the
shores of the Delaware and Chesapeake
from the far regions of the North. They
arrive among us in September, and
remain feeding along the fresh-water
shores and mud-flats until driven farther
south by the chilling frosts of these
regions, as they are a very tender bird,
and spend the most of their time in parts where the weather is
mild. This little duck appears to be much less cunning than most
other varieties of wild fowl, as it is not difficult to approach in a
boat or under cover of any simple device.
The shooters on the Delaware kill great numbers from the reeds,
over stool-ducks set out on the mud; they stool without difficulty,
and drop down among the decoys and go to eating as if they were
surrounded by busy companions like themselves.
They stool better if the decoys are set in the mud than if in
the water, and in this respect differ from every other duck.
317
318 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
They are fond of the seeds of the wild oats, and become very
fat after feeding on them for a short time. In the South they
also become very fat, and are considered most excellent eating;
great numbers are shot as well as caught on the ricefields in traps
set by the negroes.
The markets of Philadelphia abound with these ducks, which are
sold for a mere trifle. They are considered best by epicures when
split open and broiled, with a dressing of butter: we prefer them
in this way to all other modes of cooking.
Blue-winged teal fly with great rapidity and considerable noise;
they drop down suddenly among the reeds, much like a wood-
cock.
DESCRIPTION.
‘“‘This species measures about fourteen inches in length and
twenty-two inches in extent; the bill is long in proportion, and
of a dark, dusky slate; the front and upper part of the head are
black; from the eye to the chin is a large crescent of white; the
rest of the head and half the neck are of a dark slate, richly
glossed with green and violet; remainder of the neck and breast
is black or dusky, thickly marked with semicircles of brownish
white, elegantly intersected with each other; belly pale brown,
barred with dusky in narrow lines; sides and vent the same tint,
spotted with oval marks of dusky; flanks elegantly waved with
large semicircles of pale brown; sides of the vent pure white, un-
der the tail-coverts black; back deep brownish-black, each feather
waved with large semi-ovals of brownish white; lesser wing-covert
a bright light-blue; primaries dusky brown; secondaries black;
speculum, or beauty-spot, rich green; tertials edged with black or
light-blue, and streaked down their middle with white; the tail,
which is pointed, extends two inches beyond the wings; legs and
feet yellow, the latter very small; the two crescents of white before
the eyes meet on the throat.
‘‘The female differs in having the head and neck of a dull dusky
slate, instead of the rich violet of the male; the hind-head is also
GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 319
whitish; the wavings on the back and lower parts more indistinct;
wing nearly the same in both.”
ANAS CRECCA. GREEN-WINGED TEAL.
This variety is a little larger than the preceding, and resembles
more closely the English teal—is, in fact, considered by naturalists
as the same duck. Its habits and disposition are similar to those
of the blue-winged, and its flesh of like quality.
ANAS ALBEOLA. BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK, OR BUTTER-BALL.
HIS little duck is more commonly known
as the butter-box, or butter-ball, from the
circumstance of its fat, plump little body.
It is one of the very first ducks that comes
from the North. Its flesh is rather fishy
at times; but we have shot them on the
a iii By EN Chesapeake and Delaware of very good
=== flavor. It breeds in the North, flies with
i Nose great velocity, and dives with considerable
facility; and, when on the wing, utters a
quick, guttural note—quack! quack! quack!
DESCRIPTION.
‘“The buffel-headed duck, or rather, as it has originally been,
the buffalo-headed duck, from the disproportionate size of its head,
is fourteen inches long and twenty-three inches in extent; the bill
is short, and of a light blue or leaden color; the plumage of the
head and half of the neck is thick, long, and velvety, projecting
320
BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK, OR BUTTER-BALL. 321
greatly over the lower part of the neck; this plumage on the fore-
head and nape is rich glossy green, changing into a shining purple
on the crown and sides of the neck ; from the eyes backward passes
a broad band of pure white; iris of the eye dark; back, wings,
and part of the scapulars, black ; rest of the scapulars, lateral band —
along the wing, and whole breast, snowy white; belly, vent, and
tail-coverts, dusky white; tail pointed, and of a hoary color.
“The female is considerably less than the male, and entirely
destitute of the tumid plumage of the head: the head, neck, and
upper parts of the body and wings are sooty black, darkest on the
crown; sides of the head marked with a small oblong spot of
white; bill dusky ; lower part of the neck ash, tipped with white ;
belly dull white; vent cinereous; outer edges of six of the secon-
daries and their incumbent coverts white, except the tips of the
latter, which are black; legs and feet a livid blue; tail hoary
brown.”
21
ANAS OBSCURA. DUSKY DUCK, OR BLACK DUCK.
f oe USKY or black ducks are known to all
our sea-shore shooters, and innumerable
quantities are brought to the Philadelphia
markets. They meet with ready sale,
although their flesh is far inferior to that of
many other varieties of wild fowl. They
are better known as the black duck, and are
shot on the salt marshes of the Delaware.
They are very wary, and will not stool.
They feed on the small bivalves that are so abundant in these
waters, as also along the shores of the creeks and inlets of the Mid-
dle States. Black ducks swim and fly with great velocity: their
notes resemble those of the mallard, but their flesh is much inferior.
As before stated, wild fowl rise almost universally against the
wind; black ducks, however, are an exception to this general rule,
as they spring indifferently either with or against the wind.
Numbers of black ducks are killed by the gunners lying in wait
for them in the route of their return from the sea to the marshes
to feed after night. This kind of shooting is termed “dusking,”’
322
DUSKY DUCK, OR BLACK-DUCK. 525
and of course can only be practised with much success on a moon-
light night.
When the weather is not severe and the ducks are plenty,
“‘dusking’ is an agreeable pastime. Black ducks are very wary
and sagacious; and it is necessary to hold the most profound
silence when dusking, as they change their course or tower high
at the slightest noise.
DESCRIPTION.
‘“‘The dusky or black duck is two feet in length and three feet
two inches in extent; the bill is of a dark greenish-ash, formed
very much like the mallard, and nearly of the same length; irides
dark; upper part of the head deep dusky-brown, intermixed on
the forepart with some small streaks of drab; rest of the head and
greater part of the neck pale yellow-ochre, thickly marked with
small streaks of blackish brown; lower part of the neck and whole
lower parts deep dusky, each feather edged with brownish white
and with fine seams of rusty white; upper parts the same, but
rather deeper; the outer vanes of nine of the secondaries bright
violet-blue, forming the beauty-spot, which is bounded on all sides |
by black; wings and tail sooty brown; tail-feathers sharp-pointed ;
legs and feet dusky yellow; lining of the wings pure white.
“The female has more brown on her plumage, but in other
respects differs little from the male, both having the beauty-spot
on the wing.
ANAS ACUTA. PINTAIL DUCK, OR SPRIGTAIL.
HIS handsome-looking duck is known to
our shooters indifferently as the pintail or
sprigtail. The latter appellation is per-
haps the most common. They frequent
the fresh-water streams of almost every
section of our country, both inland and on
the seaboard. They are not very partial to
salt water. Sprigtails are shy and yigi-
lant; when aroused, they fly confusedly together, so that the
shooter has always a fine opportunity to rake the flock when on
the wing. They remain with us all winter and breed in the North;
their flesh is sweet and often delicious.
DESCRIPTION.
“The pintail duck is twenty-six inches in length and two feet
ten inches in extent; the bill is a dusky lead-color; irides dark
hazel; head and half of the neck pale brown, each side of the
neck marked with a band of purple-violet, bordering the white ;
324
PINTAL-DUCK, OR SPRINGTAIL. 825
hind-part of the upper half of the neck black, bordered on each
side by a stripe of white, which spreads over the lower part of the
neck before; sides of the breast and upper part of the back white,
thickly and elegantly marked with transverse, undulating lines of
black, here and there tinged with pale buff; throat and middle of
the belly white, tinged with cream; flanks finely pencilled with
waving lines; vent white; under tail-coverts black; lesser wing-
coverts brown-ash; greater the same, tipped with orange; below
which is the speculum, or beauty-spot, of rich golden green, bor-
dered below with a band of black and another of white; primaries
dusky brown; tertials long, black, edged with white and tinged
with rust ; rump and tail-coverts pale ash, centred with dark brown ;
tail greatly poimted, the two middle tapering feathers being full
five inches longer than the others, and black; the rest brown-ash,
edged with white; legs a pale lead-color.
‘‘The female has the crown of a dark brown color; neck of a
dull brownish-white, thickly speckled with dark brown; breast and
belly pale brownish-white, interspersed with white; back and root
of the neck above black, each feather elegantly waved with broad
limes of brownish white—these wavings become rufous on the scapu-
lars; vent white, spotted with dark brown; tail dark brown,
spotted with white; the two middle tail-feathers half an inch longer
than the others.
“The sprigtail is an elegantly-formed, long-bodied duck, the
neck longer and more slender than most others.”
ANAS SPONSA. SUMMER-DUCK, OR WOOD-DUCK.
UMMER-DUCKS are remarkable for
the richness and varied hue of their
plumage, and are considered the most
beautiful of all the duck tribe. It is
spread throughout the whole extent of
our country, breeding in almost every
State of the Union, and familiarly known
to country-people as the wood-duck, from
the circumstance of its selecting the hollows of trees to breed in.
This fowl delights in the small streams and mill-ponds of the in-
terior, and is but seldom met with on the large rivers. They are
not often met with in flocks, but are generally found in small
families of two or three. The followers of Sir Isaac Walton are
generally much more familiar with this fowl than the professed
sportsman, as they, in the pursuit of their favorite amusement,
spend much of their time in the quiet and secluded haunts which
326
SUMMER-DUCK, 0R WOOD-DUCK. 327
these birds affect. Their food consists of seeds and insects, and
their flesh at times is excellent. They are easily tamed when
taken young, and soon become completely domesticated.
DESCRIPTION.
“<The wood-duck is nineteen inches in length and two feet four
inches in extent; bill red, margined with black; a spot of black
lies between the nostrils, reaching nearly to the tip, which is also
of the same color, and furnished with a large hooked nail; irides
orange-red; front, crown, and pendent crest rich glossy bronze-
green, ending in violet, elegantly marked with a line of pure white
running from the upper mandible over the eye, and with another
band of white proceeding from behind the eye, both mingling
their long pendent plumes with the green and violet ones, pro-
ducing a rich effect; cheeks and sides of the upper neck violet;
chin, throat, and collar round the neck pure white, curving up in
the form of a crescent nearly to the posterior part of the eye;
the white collar is bounded below with black; breast dark violet-
brown, marked on the forepart with minute triangular spots of
white, increasing in size until they spread into the white of the
belly; each side of the breast is bounded by a large cres-
cent of white, and that again by a broader one of deep black;
sides under the wings thickly and beautifully marked with fine
undulating parallel lines of black, on a ground of yellowish drab;
the flanks are ornamented with broad, alternate, semicircular bands
of black and white; sides of the vent rich light-violet ; tail-coverts
long, of a hair-like texture at the sides, over which they descend,
and of a deep black, glossed with green; back dusky bronze,
reflectmg green; scapulars black; tail tapering, dark glossy green
above, below dusky; primaries dusky, silvery hoary without,
tipped with violet-blue; secondaries greenish blue, tipped with
white; wing-coverts violet-blue, tipped with black; vent dusky;
legs and feet yellowish red; claws strong and hooked.
““The female has the head slightly crested; crown, dark purple;
328 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
behind the eye a bar of white; chin and throat, for two inches,
also white; head and neck dark drab; breast, dusky brown,
marked with large triangular spots of white; back dark glossy
bronze-brown, with some gold and greenish reflections ; speculum
of the wings nearly the same as in the male, but the fine pencil-
ling of the sides and the long hair-like tail-coverts are wanting ;
the tail is also shorter.”
ANAS CANADENSIS. CANADA GOOSE.
“‘Hawnk! honk! and for’ard to the nor’ard is the trumpet-tone !
What goose can lag, or feather flag, or break the goodly cone?
Hawnk! onward to the cool blue lakes where lie our safe love-bowers,
No stop, no drop of ocean-brine, near stool or hassock hoary,
Our travelling watchword is ‘our mates, our goslings, and our glory!”
Symsonia and Labrador for us are crowned with flowers,
And not a breast on wave shall rest, until that heaven is ours.
: Hawnk! Hawnk! E—e Hawnk!”
— = . }UD GEESE are widely spread over the
ap
whole of the country; and there are
few portions of the United States where
the honking of the goose is not familiar
to the inhabitants. These fowl, in their
= migrations south and north, are con-
sidered the sure harbingers of dreary
winter or the near approach of cheerful
spring. They breed in the remotest regions of the North, even
329
330 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
perhaps under the very Pole itself, where, undisturbed by the
cruel hands of man, they rear their young in the most perfect
security, and only leave those peaceful climes when driven from
them by the severity of threatening winter.
Wild geese make their appearance on the Delaware and Chesa-
peake Bays in October; and when many are flying early in the
season it is considered a certain prognostic of a long and hard
winter,—a belief in which all the inhabitants of those parts which
they visit place implicit confidence.
During their journey through the Canadas, their thick ranks
are considerably thinned by the slaughter made among them by
the Indians, who kill immense numbers for their own support and
for that of the English settlements about Hudson’s Bay.
The geese are cleaned and salted away for the winter’s use, and
afford the principal article of flesh that the people have to rely
upon for several months in the year.
Mr. Pennat says, ‘‘ The English at Hudson’s Bay depend greatly
on geese of this and other kinds for their support, and in favor-
able years kill three or four thousand, which are salted and
barrelled. Their arrival is impatiently expected by the inhabit-
ants, as they are one of the chief articles of their food and also
the harbingers of spring; and the month is named by the Indians
the Goose-moon. They appear usually at our settlements in num-
bers about St. George’s day, and fly northward to nestle in se-
curity. They prefer islands to the continent, as farther from the
haunts of men. Thus, Marble Island was found in August to
swarm with swans, geese, and ducks,—the old ones moulting, and
the young unfledged and incapable of flying. The English send
out their servants as well as the Indians to shoot these birds on
their passage. It is in vain to pursue them; they therefore form
a row of huts made of boughs, at musket-shot distance from each
other, and place them in a line across the parts of the vast marshes
of the country where the geese are expected to pass. Hach stand
is occupied by a single person; these, on the approach of the
birds, mimic their cackle so well that the geese will answer, wheel,
CANADA GOOSE. Sok
and come nearer the hovel. The sportsman keeps motionless and
on his knees, with his gun cocked, and never fires till he has seen
the eyes of the geese. He fires as they are going from him, then
picks up another gun that lies by him and discharges that. The
geese killed he sets up on sticks, as if alive, to decoy others; he
also makes artificial birds for the same purpose. In a good day (for
they fly in very uncertain and unequal numbers) a single Indian will
kill two hundred. Notwithstanding every sort of goose has a differ-
ent call, yet the Indians are admirable in their imitation of every one.”
The geese, on their return to the North, pass through the East-
ern States in the months of April and May, early or late, accord-
ing to the state of the weather. When in our waters they feed
on the leaves, blades, and berries of different marine plants, and
the roots of the sedge which grows so abundantly on the salt
marshes. ‘Their flight is heavy and laborious, and in the form of
a triangle, the flock being led by an old gander. When wounded,
they swim and dive with great facility, going long distances under
the water. When taken alive, they are easily domesticated, and
will breed readily with the tame goose. It is a very common
circumstance to see flocks of these geese entirely domesticated in.
the neighborhood of the waters which they frequented in their
original state of freedom. Although they may have become quite
tame, and perhaps have reared a brood or two, they are all apt to ex-
hibit symptoms of uneasiness as the period for migration approaches,
and will sometimes fly off with the wild ones that they hear honking
overhead. The Canadian goose is domesticated in England and
France, and is considered superior to the common gray goose.
Many plans are resorted to by the shooters on our coast to
decoy these wary fowl within gunshot, and none more successful
than that of imitating their honkings, which most of them can do
to perfection.
Domestic geese are also used to decoy the wild ones flying over-
head; and they not unfrequently entice them from great heights
in the air to alight among them, supposing them to be some of
their own companions feeding in safety below.
ae LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
They are also shot at night on the ponds and marshes where
they go to feed.
Numbers are shot over decoys from the sand-flats, or points
upon which are sunk boxes, in which the shooter conceals himself.
When only wounded, they are difficult to capture, as they swim and
dive well, and also possess the power of sinking their bodies in
the water with the bill only projecting above the surface, and will
continue in this position for some time.
Wild geese, when migrating South, sometimes lose their way,
more particularly in foggy weather, when they have been known
to alight in the immediate vicinity of the farm-houses, apparently
much confused and wonder-struck at their peculiar and dangerous
position. When feeding, sanding, or sleeping, they always place
sentinels on guard, who are regularly relieved at the lapse of an
hour or so.- These sentinels are ever on the alert, with wide-
extended necks, and give the alarm to their companions at the
slightest intimation of danger.
DESCRIPTION.
““The length of this species is three feet; extent five feet two
inches; the bill is black; irides dark hazel; upper half of the
neck black, marked on the chin and lower part of the head with a
large patch of white, its distinguishing character; lower part of
the neck, before, white; back and wing-coverts brown, each feather
tipped with whitish; rump and tail black; tail-coverts and vent
white; primaries black, reaching to the extremity of the tail;
sides pale ashy-brown ; legs and feet blackish ash.
‘The male and female are exactly alike in plumage.”’
SNOW-GOOSE. 333
ANAS HYPERBOREA. SNOW-GOOSE.
‘ Hoarse, heavy geese scream up the distant sky
And all the thunders of our boat defy.”
This beautiful fowl is known upon our coast as the red goose,
and makes its appearance in the rivers of the Eastern States early
in November, and as the winter progresses proceeds farther South ;
it also stops with us on its return to the North early in the spring,
or rather late in the winter.
Snow-geese are numerous on the coast of Jersey and in the
Delaware Bay. They frequent the marshes and reedy shores to
feed upon the roots of various marine plants,—more particularly
that called sea-cabbage. Their bills being very strong and well
supplied with powerful teeth, they pull up with great facility the
roots of sedge and all other plants.
Their flesh, though not fishy, is strong, but, we think, better than
that of the domestic fowl.
The same stratagems are used to shoot these fowls as are put
into practice to kill the other variety.
DESCRIPTION.
‘The snow-goose is two feet eight inches in length and five feet
in extent; the bill is three inches in length, remarkably thick at
the base, and rising high in the forehead, but becomes small and
compressed at the extremity, where each mandible is furnished
with a whitish rounding nail; the color of the bill is a purplish car-
mine; the edges of the two mandibles separate from each other in
a singular manner for their whole length, and this gibbosity is
occupied by dented rows, resembling teeth, these and the parts
adjoining being of a blackish color; the whole plumage is of a
snowy whiteness, with the exception, first, of the forepart of the
head all round as far as the eyes, which is of a yellowish-rust
color intermixed with white; and, second, the nine exterior quill-
324 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
feathers, which are black, shafted with white, and white at the
root; the coverts of these last, and also the bastard wing, are
sometimes of a pale ash color; the legs and feet of the same pur-
plish carmine as the bill; iris dark hazel; the tail is rounded, and
consists of sixteen feathers; that and the wings when shut nearly
of a length.”’
Wilson remarks that ‘‘the bill of this bird is singularly curious:
the edges of the upper and lower gibbosities have each twenty-
three indentations or strong teeth on each side; the inside or
concavity of the upper mandible has also seven lateral rows of
strong projecting teeth; and the tongue, which is horny at the
extremity, is armed on each side with thirteen long and sharp bony
teeth, placed like those of a saw, with their points directed back-
wards; the tongue turned up, and viewed on its lower side, looks
very much like a human finger with its nail. This conformation
of the mandibles, exposing two rows of strong teeth, has probably
given rise to the epithet ‘laughing,’ bestowed on one of its varie-
ties, though it might with as much propriety have been named the
grinning goose.”
ANAS BERNICLA. BRANT, OR BRENT.
ILSON considers the brant and barnacle
goose the same bird. Large flocks of
these fowl arrive on the coast of Jersey
in the latter part of September or early
in October. They remain in these re-
gions till the weather gets very cold, and
then move off to the South. They feed
on shell-fish and marine vegetables: their
flesh is sedgy, and often extremely fishy.
Our markets are crowded with brant in
autumn and spring, and they sell for a mere trifle. They have a
hoarse, honking, disagreeable note, and may be heard at a great
distance. They are shy birds, and fly high and in long lines.
Great numbers of brant are killed about Long Island by shoot-
ers concealed in batteries somewhat similar to those used on the
Chesapeake Bay for the capture of canvas-backs. Those shot
late in the spring are much better eating than at any other time.
Unsuccessful attempts have been made to domesticate them, but,
335
3806 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
owing to their wild and wandering disposition, but little has been
accomplished towards this end.
DESCRIPTION.
“The brant generally weighs about four pounds avoirdupois,
and measures two feet in length and three feet six inches in ex-
tent; the bill is about an inch and a half long, and black; the
nostril large, placed nearly in its middle; head, neck, and breast
black, the neck marked with a spot of white about two inches below
the eye; belly pale ash, edged with white; from the thighs back-
wards, white; back and wing-coverts dusky brownish-black, the
plumage lightest at the tips; rump and middle of the tail-coverts
black; the rest of the tail-coverts pure white, reaching nearly to
the tip of the tail, the whole of which is black, but usually con-
cealed by the white coverts; primaries and secondaries deep black;
legs also black; irides dark hazel.
‘The only material difference observable between the plumage
of the male and female is, that in the latter the white spot on the
neck is less, and more mottled with dusky. In young birds it is
sometimes wanting, or occurs on the front, cheeks, and chin, and
sometimes the upper part of the neck only is black; but in full-
plumaged birds of both sexes the markings are very much alike.”
AMERICAN SWAN—CYGNUS AMERICANA;
AND
TRUMPETER SWAN—CYGNUS BUCINATOR. Ss
‘‘The stately-sailing swan
Gives out his snowy plumage to the gale;
And, arching proud his neck, with oary feet
Bears forward fierce, and guards his osier-isle,
Protective of his young.”
“WHERE FOUND, ETC.
,E have two or more varieties of swans
which visit the shores of our Atlantic
States. At times they are quite nume-
rous in the vicinity of Carrol’s Island,
more particularly if the weather continues
boisterous for several days, when they
retire from the mid-bay to seek food on
the shallows of the coves or under the
protection of the islands a considerable distance from the sea.
. yo”,
22 307
338 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Swans are very shy, ily high, and are not easily brought down un-
less struck in some vital part. The flesh of the cygnet, or young
swan, is considered excellent. We have eaten of it frequently, but
cannot say that we have any great predilection in its favor. One
thing is certain, however: it is superior to the wild goose, but in-
ferior to the canvas-back.
Swans are frequently—and, we may say, easily—domesticated ;
but they will not thrive save where they can pass most of their
time on the water. In such favorable situations for their mode
of life, they will breed and live for years contented and happy.
Swans, par excellence, are the most beautiful, most elegant, most
graceful, and most spotless of all fowl. Their plumage is perfectly
white.
The Cygnus Americana is the species most commonly met with.
The other varieties are but seldom shot in these parts. Swans, like
the rest of the wild fowl, retire to the Far North in the early
spring.
CHAPTER XXYV.
AMERICAN HARE, OR GRAY RABBIT. LEPUS SYLVATICUS.
DESCRIPTION, HABITS, GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS, ETC.
‘©SUMMER DRESS.
== UR on the back yellowish brown; soft fur,
from the roots to the surface plumbeous ;
the long hairs which extend beyond the
fur, and give the general color to the ani-
mal, are for three-fourths of their length
lead-colored, then yellowish, and are tipped
SSN" with black; ears dark brown on the outer
surface, destitute of the distinct black bor-
der seen in the Northern hare, and not tipped with black like those
of the Polar and variable hare; whiskers nearly all black; iris
light brownish-yellow; a circle of fawn-color around the eye, more
conspicuous nearest the forehead; cheeks grayish; chin, under
99
Ov
340 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
surface of body, and inner surface of legs, light grayish-white; tail,
upper surface grayish brown, beneath white; breast light yellowish-
gray ; behind the ears a broad patch of fawn-color; outer surface
of fore-legs and thighs yellowish brown.
‘CWINTER COLOR.
‘‘ Very similar to the above; in a few specimens the hairs are
whitest at the tips; in others black tips prevail. This hare never
becomes white in any part of our country, and so far as our re-
searches have extended we have scarcely found any variety in its
color.
“¢ DIMENSIONS.
ADULT MALE. INCHES. LINES.
CMencthiot Head ANdwDOM Ys scc.cseeoaceeanas ce saeeigelsiics 15 0
ee 1 GREY V0 [ore bn as Dalam Res OCT Gs a Ak 3 5
G6 (SGN GST ess AR OURO RP LE tn tn RR in 3 0
ss CELUI RAS) OF os onatyseenosepebiocaspooneseedoo ses 1 2
ee tall Incl udumor FUT. oct. csncee tee eons sees: 2 2
From heel to end of middle claw..............ss0sseseeseee 3 7
Weight 2 lbs. 7 0z.”—AupuBon.
LOCALITY.
The gray rabbit is met with as far north as New Hampshire,
and abounds in the Middle, Southern, and Western States.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.
The timid and interesting little creature now under considera-
tion, we may say, is universally known as the rabbit; this appella-
tion, however, notwithstanding its general use, is a very unjust one,
as will be learned from the following remarks on this head.
Those naturalists who have studied the habits and characteristics
of the genus lepus of America do not hesitate for a moment in
placing all the varieties yet met with in their proper rank of hare.
And, moreover, we shall, without doubt, surprise some of our
readers when we tell them that we have no rabbit—that is, trwe
rabbit—indigenous to this country.
The hare and rabbit so closely resemble each other in many
THE AMERICAN HARE. 341
points that it is not at all astonishing that they should often be
confounded one with the other; in fact, nothing but the discrimi-
nating eyes of science could have pointed out the dividing-line
between these two nearly-allied species.
The principal and most striking difference in the habits of these
two species is the circumstance of one living in communities and
burrowing in the ground, while the other lives singly or in
pairs, and makes its nest upon the open surface; this peculiarity
of the American hare is almost sufficient of itself to prove the en-
tire identity of the species with that of the English hare, (Lepus
cuniculus.)
We have, however, still stronger grounds than this for placing
our rabbit, as it is termed, in the same rank with that of the Kuro-
pean hare.
The American hare, as the English, breeds about three times in
the course of a year; in the South they may possibly, owing to
the effects of climate, bring forth more frequently. Their nest is
of the rudest character, and constructed with little or no care for
any thing like warmth or comfort; it is generally found upon the
open ground, in an old field, perhaps protected somewhat from the
weather and easy observation by the overhanging leaves of a
shrub or other small plant.
The rabbit, on the contrary, has several litters in the course of
the year, and selects with some degree of care the choicest part of
its burrow for the deposit of its young; the nest is made of the
softest materials within the reach of the anxious mother, and she
even plucks the downy fleece from her own body to furnish a soft
and warm bed for the reception of her tender offspring.
The young of the Lepus sylvaticus, at birth, are covered with
hair; their eyes wide open and ready for immediate use; their ears
fully developed and eager for action; their bodies supple and their
limbs pliant, even so much so that they possess sufficient strength
to run almost at the moment of birth.
The young of the rabbit, on the contrary, are deposited in the
-dark recesses of the burrow, entirely destitute of any protection in
342 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the way of fur, their eyes shut up and their ear-flaps even closed;
their bodies also are soft and delicate, and their limbs feeble; in
fact, the litter is entirely dependent upon the anxious care of its
parent for protection and support for a considerable time after
birth.
The flesh also of the hare and rabbit is quite dissimilar; the
former when boiled is dark, the latter white; there is also a game-
flavor about the one that the other does not possess.
The rabbit is a lively, frolicsome little animal, delighting to pop
in and out of its burrow at all hours of the day, to bask for a few
moments in the sun and collect something to eat, and then away
at the slightest token of alarm to the depths of its subterranean
abode.
The hare is a timid, lonely creature, sitting motionless for hours,
crouched up within its form,—a mere space the size of the animal
upon the open ground,—or perhaps snugly stowed away under a pile
of brush, stones, or rubbish of any description whatever.
The rabbit, when pursued by dogs, takes to his burrow as the
only secure refuge.
The hare, on the contrary, trusts in a great measure to his speed
and cunning to insure his safety; and when pursued by dogs the
American species resort to the same method of escaping from their
enemies as the English variety,—that is, doubliny. The construc-
tion of the hind-legs is also the same in the one as in the other,
being not less than ten inches in length, which is large in proportion
to the size of the body; those of the rabbit are much smaller.
The American hare has from three to five young at a litter,
sometimes six, and rarely seven. If it were not for the wonderful
fecundity of this animal, the whole race would soon become extinct,
from the constant and never-ceasing depredations of its numerous
enemies. Nature, however, wise in all her plans, compensates for
the waste on one side by an extraordinary fruitfulness on the other,
thus balancing the losses from destruction by that of reproduction,
in a ratio which is always sufficient to insure the prolonged exist-
ence of the race.
THE AMERICAN HARE. 343
The hare is peculiarly adapted for speed, not only on account
of the general muscularity of its body, but also from the peculiar
construction of its hind-limbs, which, being so very long, assist the
animal greatly in going up-hill,—in fact, gives it considerable ad-
vantage over the pursuer, and of which, from cunning, or, more
properly, instinct, it avails itself by taking to rising ground as soon
as come upon. The hare is always in good running condition at
that season of the year when it is most likely to be pursued by
dogs or other less dangerous foes; this circumstance also we may
regard as a peculiar provision of nature, for if the timid little
creature were permitted to repose in ease and silence, entirely free
from apprehension of danger except at the moment when really
attacked, the body would soon become overloaded with fat, which
would necessarily prevent it from taking advantage of that fleet-
ness which, when in condition, insures its safety.
The American hare has considerable speed, and can run for a
short time without giving out; the hairy covering of its feet gives
it a decided advantage over the dog in a race, during dry or frosty
weather. When hotly pursued, hares most frequently take to
holes, hollowed trunks of trees, or secrete themselves under brush-
heaps, old logs, or piles of stone. When first roused, the hare
dashes off in good style, and at a speed that soon leaves its pur-
suers far in the wake; but, unfortunately, for want of sagacity,
puss exhausts her strength long before the scent grows cold or
the hounds begin to tire, and, if it were not for their taking to
holes, piles of logs or brush, they would soon fall victims to almost
any cur that has the bottom and perseverance to follow in their trail.
The construction and position of the eyes in the head are such
as to enable the hare to encompass nearly a whole circle in its
glance, with scarcely any motion of the head; the eyelids are
never completely closed, not even in sleep. The ears also are so
contrived as to collect the slightest sound arising in any quarter.
With such endowments, it is seldom that a hare is come upon un-
awares, although he may spring up from beneath our very feet, or
from before the nose of our dogs; he was well apprized however, of
344 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
our close proximity, and only trusted, as he had often done before,
that, owing to the striking semblance between his color and that of
the ground or surrounding herbage, he would escape unnoticed.
The hare may be termed a nocturnal animal, “as it is commonly
at the earliest dawn, while the dew-drops still glitter on the herb-
age, or when the fresh verdure is concealed beneath a mantle of
glistening frost, that the timorous hare ventures forth in quest of
food, or courses undisturbed over the plains.”’
Although sportsmen meet with hares in considerable numbers
at all hours of the day, it must be recollected that they are not
found feeding, but, on the contrary, are generally roused from
their forms, where perhaps they have been crouching for hours in
undisturbed repose.
“During moonlight nights, the timorous hare may be seen
sporting with its companions in unrestrained gambols, frisking
with delighted eagerness around its mate, or busily engaged in
cropping its food.”
THEIR FOOD.
The hare is not a very dainty animal as to the choice of her
food; every thing produced upon a farm or cultivated in the
garden is alike palatable to her, and she not unfrequently makes
great havoc with the autumnal turnip and cabbage-crops; she also
frequents the cornfields to glean the scattered grains, and visits
the orchards in quest of the juicy apple. The partiality on the
part of the hare for the last-mentioned fruit is turned to fearful
account against them by those who bait their traps and snares
with it, for the dainty morsel thus laid in their very path seldom
fails to entice an unwary hare within its deceptive clutches.
Later in the season, when food is scarce and nothing more
palatable is at hand, hares often become very destructive to the
young nurseries, by gnawing the tender bark from the fruit-trees,
which they greedily devour.
Hares are fond of every description of wild fruit and berries;
and it is not until after the commencement of the frost, when all
THE AMERICAN HARE. 345
these various productions are ripe, that they become fit for the
table.
In the North, they depend for support during the long winters
upon the buds and bark of the pine and fir, upon which they
grow fat.
THEIR FLESH.
The flesh of the American hare, when cooked, is dark and of a
game-flavor, and, if it were not for their great abundance, would be
highly esteemed as a delicacy for the table; but, so long as they
can be purchased in our markets at twelve and a half cents apiece,
the public will not think a great deal of them.
The hare is not in condition for the table until after several
severe frosts, when the meat will be found clean, delicate, juicy,
and tender, provided it is cooked in right style and with the pro-
per condiments. In the summer season, hares are not fit for the
table at all; their flesh at this time is tough and stringy, and,
moreover, their bodies, more particularly about the head and
upper part of the neck, are infested with a species of cestrus, that
lays its eggs in the skin, and which, when hatched, grow sometimes
to an enormous size before leaving its nest; we have found them
buried in the very flesh of the neck, as much as an inch long, and
as large as the point of the little finger. Their presence must
worry and torment the poor animal much, as we have always
found those with these worms in them very lean, and to all appear-
ance weak and sickly. We have shot them as late as November
with these worms in them, but they generally fall out much earlier
than this.
HUNTING HARES.
_ NSTEAD of coursing hares as they do in
England and on the Continent, we either
take them in snares and traps, or rous-
ing them with a dog, shoot them as they
make off. They are easily killed, and it
will require but a few pellets of partridge-
shot to bring a large one to bag.
They possess a strong scent, and perplex
the dogs very much when in pursuit of
partridges: the best of dogs can hardly
refrain from chasing a hare, after pointing it and seeing it jump
up and make off from before his very nose. They lie very close,
and it will be necessary oftentimes to kick them up from their
form when the dog points them; we have done so repeatedly.
Hares affect marshy thickets, or rather the open fields adjoin-
ing thickets; as they retire to these situations for refuge as soon
as roused, and in fact remain there during the greater portion of
the day. They bound along with considerable speed and gene-
346
THE AMERICAN HARE. 347
rally in a straight course, but when hard pressed resort to the
artifices of doubling,—a manceuvre practised constantly by the
European variety. They will also hide themselves away in the
trunk of a hollow tree, which they ascend by pressing the feet
and back against opposite sides of the hollow.
The kind of dogs most generally employed in the pursuit of
hares in this country is a small species of beagle, the production,
we believe, of a cross and recross of the fox-hound and beagle.
These animals, as well as most other mongrels found on our farms,
become very fond of the sport, and acquire considerable sagacity
and speed in the chase.
There are few dogs that live in the country but will hunt rabbits,
or, more correctly speaking, hares; some of course are far superior
to others, according to their build and the intelligence bequeathed
them by their ancestors.
DOMESTICATED.
American hares have in some few instances been domesticated,
but, when confined in enclosures, are ever making efforts to escape;
they will, however, breed in warrens.
THEIR CRY.
‘“‘ This species, like all the true hares, has no note of recognition ;
and its voice is never heard, except when wounded, or at the mo-
ment of its capture, when it utters a shrill, plaintive cry, like that
of a young child in pain; in the Northern hare this cry is louder,
shriller, and of longer continuance.”
ENEMIES.
It is not surprising that a timid, defenceless creature like the
hare should have numerous sanguinary enemies; and among them
none are more destructive than the weasel. This formidable and
courageous little animal is constantly on the look-out for hares,
and, tracking them, enters the holes, hollow trees, or other places
where they are secreted, and dispatches them with the greatest
348 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
ferocity. Skunks, wild cats, foxes, hawks, owls, snakes, &c. all
prey upon the hare whenever they can succeed in capturing him
either by pursuit, stealth, or stratagem.
DIFFERENT VARIETIES.
There are several varieties of hares distributed over different
sections of our extensive country. Their habits are generally
very analogous to those of the Lepus sylvaticus.
Some varieties, however, are smaller, while others are larger;
and those inhabiting the more northern latitudes change their
sombre summer pelage during the winter months to a spotless
white. Their flesh at the proper season is universally esteemed,
and the timid creatures are consequently much persecuted by the
inhabitants of the districts wherever they are found.
MEMORANDA.
1. The American hare is not a rabbit, but a bona fide hare, both
in appearance, flesh, and mode of life: no naturalist disputes the
point.
2. Different varieties of foreign rabbits have been imported into
the country from time to time; but there is no species of rabbits a
native of this continent as yet discovered.
3. American hares, like the European, live smgly above ground,
and never burrow; they also breed far less often than the rabbit,
and have fewer at each litter. ~
4. The English rabbits live in communities, and form extensive
excavations in the ground, termed burrows or warrens, where they
mostly reside and deposit their young.
5. The young of the Lepus sylvaticus, as the foreign hare, are
covered with hair at birth, their eyes open, and their limbs strong
enough for immediate action.
6. The young of the true rabbit are quite bare of hair: when
first brought forth, their eyes are closed and their limbs tender
and weakly.
T. The American hare is a lonely, timid creature; the rabbit,
THE AMERICAN HARE. 349
on the contrary, is a social, frolicsome, bold or rather pert little
animal.
8. The hind-legs of the Lepus sylvaticus are very long, and
formed like those of the European hare, and are consequently quite
different from those of the rabbit.
9. The Lepus sylvaticus, when pursued by dogs, trusts in a great
measure to her speed for safety, and resorts to the same devices to
insure her escape (that is, doubling) as the English variety.
10. The rabbit, on the contrary, takes to her burrow as her only
safeguard.
11. The flesh of the hare, when boiled, is dark; that of the
rabbit, white.
12. The hare is almost entirely a nocturnal animal; the rabbit
but little so.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE SQUIRREL.
“‘From bough to bough the scampering squirrels bound,
But soon in smoky thunders bite the ground ;
Life’s gushing streams their sable furs defile.”
aie we ’- KE hardly think it will be expected of us
SO <» to include the subject of squirrel-shoot-
ing in this volume; however, as we know
something about the matter, (perhaps
nothing new,) picked up during our early
school-days in a great squirrel-country,
it may not be amiss in us to devote a few
pages to these interesting little creatures,
that enliven the solitude of our deep
forests with their frolicsome gambols.
Our friend Porter, in his reprint of Hawker,—by-the-by a most
excellent work in itself, and made still more so by the valuable
390
THE SQUIRREL. aol
additions of the editor,—gives a most interesting account of
squirrel-shooting.
If all our readers would peruse the articles referred to in the
above publication, they would have nothing further to learn on
the subject, save a few hints as to the habits of the animal.
VARIETIES OF SQUIRRELS.
‘“‘ There are no less than sixty or seventy varieties of this genus
described by naturalists, of which twenty well-determined species
exist in North America.”
HABITS, LOCALITY, AND GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.
The habits of the whole race of squirrels are nearly akin; and
their bodies are covered with long, soft, and beautiful fur, and
furnished with a long, wiry, and bushy tail, which latter appendage
adds greatly to their graceful appearance, as they are all alike
remarkable for their sprightliness, agility, and elegance of form.
Squirrels are at all times, even in a state of captivity, of a
restless, active disposition. In their native wilds they are ever
frolicsome and gay, jumping from tree to tree. They pass their
time in joyousness and unrestrained freedom in the midst of the
rich abundance of our forests. When moving on the ground, the
squirrel seldom runs, but advances by a series of jumps. They
are of a sly, mercurial temperament, seldom remaining still for a
moment, except when alarmed; then they will stretch themselves
out at full length, on the topmost branch of a high tree, on the
side opposite to the seat of danger, and thus remain perfectly
motionless, as if a part or parcel of the tree itself, until the cause
of the alarm has moved off.
They generally build large nests formed of twigs, moss, and
leaves, in the notches of the highest forest-trees, or take up their
abode in hollow trunks, or burrow in the ground.
The whole race of squirrels is very prolific; and some species
increase so rapidly and to such a surprising extent in certain
sections of country that they actually become a severe scourge to
352 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the farmer, who, with the assistance of all his family, is not able
to protect his hard-earned crops from the depredations of these
lawless little fellows, that swarm in the cornfield at such times by
hundreds, and even thousands, consuming all within their reach,
and destroying still more by throwing it down on the ground.
When eating, or occupied in listening, they sit erect on their
hind-legs, with their long, bushy tail raised beautifully along the
back as far as the shoulders, then falling in a graceful curve near
the extremity, and hanging towards the ground. Their food is
always held in their fore-paws.
The teeth of the whole race are remarkable for their sharpness,
power, and durability; they cut with ease, in an incredibly short
time, through the hardest hickory-nut, and have the sagacity to
tell a withered or rotten nut from a good one by the mere feel or
smell; and no sooner do they pick up one of these bad ones than
they turn it round in their nimble paws and discard it. This fact
we have again and again tested with the common gray squirrel.
~The gullet of the squirrel is said to be very small, or rather con-
tracted at one point, to prevent the food from being disgorged
when descending trees. We do not know if such is the fact, and
we have no squirrel at hand at this present time to examine.
The whole race, with one or two exceptions, inhabit the thick
woods, living upon the profusion of seeds, acorns, hickory-nuts,
chestnuts, and the various other products of our rich and grand
forests. Several varieties of squirrels, more especially those
at the North, are very provident and thoughtful of the morrow,
always collecting and laying up in secret storehouses the surplus
food, which they partake of during the winter season, when the
nuts are all shaken by the cold blasts from the trees, and perhaps
covered up a foot or more in frozen snow. These well-stocked
granaries are generally in the neighborhood of their nests, either
in the hollow of a tree, in the bottom of an old stump, or in the
wide fissure of an overhanging rock. The quantities of nuts thus
stowed away by a single squirrel is sometimes enormous. We have
seen as much as a bushel of hickory-nuts, chestnuts, acorns, beech-
THE SQUIRREL. 303
nuts, chincapins, &e. &c. deposited in one of these spots. The
whole, however, may not have been put there by a single indi-
vidual,—the stock, perhaps, having been collected together by
several, who made this the general depdt for all their contribu-
tions, each one laboring for the general good, and all, in turn,
entitled to a full share of the booty. Hach squirrel, most
commonly, has several different storehouses, to which he respect-
ively resorts according to circumstances. The fact of these in-
dustrious little animals providing themselves with more granaries
than one for the guarding of their treasures is a striking example
of that instinct which we so often see displayed in the inferior
works of creation; for their storehouses are often discovered by
the keen-scented hog, and the whole devoured at a single meal;
strange squirrels, of a larger variety, will also sometimes locate
themselves near one of these deposits, and not only rob it of all its
provender, but even deny the anxious owner the privilege of
sharing in the general division; a drift of snow, or some other
mishap, will occasionally cover one up for weeks at a time. In
either of such emergencies as we have described, the poor squirrel
would have but a slim chance to get through the winter if he had
not provided himself with other secret stores.
Squirrels are all very cleanly and nice in their habits and gene-
ral appearance, and are seen frequently in the course of a day rub-
bing their faces with their paws, as if on purpose to wash them off.
THEIR ACTIVITY AND STRENGTH.
Squirrels are possessed of great muscular power, and leap with
surprising agility and precision from tree to tree; and, when hotly
pursued and unable to reach the adjoining tree so as to effect their
escape, will not hesitate to drop themselves from tremendous heights
to the ground, and then make off with rapid bounds to the next
favorable cluster of trees that stands in their path.
Audubon remarks that “the squirrel is admirably adapted to a
residence on trees, for which nature has designed it. Its fingers
are long, slender, and deeply cleft, and its nails very acute and
23
Soy! LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
greatly compressed; it is enabled to leap from branch to branch,
and from tree to tree, clinging to the smallest twigs, and seldom
missing its hold. When this happens to be the case, it has an in-
stinctive habit of grasping in its descent at the first object which
may present itself; or, if about to fall to the earth, it spreads out
im the manner of the flying squirrel, and thus, by presenting a
greater resistance to the air, is enabled to reach the ground with-
out injury, and recover itself so instantaneously that it often
escapes the teeth of the dog that watches its descent and stands
ready to seize upon it at the moment of its fall.”
CAPTIVITY.
In captivity the most of squirrels are gay, lively, and mis-
chievous; they are easily tamed, and become very interesting pets;
the most docile, however, will bite, at times, if worried; they are
very destructive and troublesome if not perpetually confined to
their boxes, as when at liberty they try their long and sharp teeth
upon every thing within their reach; no article of furniture can
escape them.
Squirrels, we have noticed, sleep very soundly, and are not
easily aroused from their slumbers. They become attached to their
keepers, and some of them will allow no other person to handle
them. They are usually high-tempered, and are easily irritated.
Great alarm or sensation of pain is expressed by squirrels by a
sharp, piercing cry; that of pleasure by a soft, rumbling noise,
somewhat like the purring of a cat; when fretted or roused from
their slumbers, they give forth a loud and angry growl.
Although, in a state of nature, nuts, seeds, insects, and grain of
various kinds form their principal food, they soon learn to partake
of almost every thing; several that we have had partook of bread
and milk with the greatest relish.
They also become quite fond of sugar and all kinds of sweets,
as well as fruits of every description; they are also very partial to
locusts, which they tear to pieces and devour with the greatest
Zest.
THE SQUIRREL. 355
When wild, squirrels are said never to resort to the streams for
water, but quench their thirst by sipping the dew and rain that
collects on the leaves or in the hollows of trees; when domesti-
cated, they drink freely and often: this may be occasioned by the
difference in diet, as the sweets they eat in confinement will pro-
duce a thirst in any animal.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS.
“In the spring the squirrels shed their hair, which is replaced
by a thinner and less furry coat; during summer their tails are
narrower and less feathery than in autumn, when they either re-
ceive an entirely new coat or a very great accession of fur. At this
season, also, the outer surfaces of the ears are more thickly and
prominently clothed with fur than in the spring and autumn.”
Some species of squirrels breed twice in the course of the spring
and summer months; they all have several at a litter. In the
northern latitudes, where the earth is shrouded for months in a
chillmg mantle of snow, the various species of squirrels indigenous
to these inhospitable climes retire to their secure retreats, either
in the ground, or in the fissures of rocks or hollows of trees, where,
surrounded by their winter store, they pass the time in a state of
sluggish and benumbed existence, not very far removed from the
dormancy observable in many other quadrupeds. Some varieties, to
a certain extent, live in communities, more especially during the
time they pass in their winter quarters. Several species have
cheek-pouches, in which they can stow away an incredible quantity
of nuts and seeds.
356 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
THEIR ENEMIES.
The whole tribe of squirrels, like the more timid and defenceless
hare, have a host of enemies constantly on the look-out to make
them their prey.
The fox, weasel, wild cat, and mink, are ever on the prowl, and
ready to pounce upon the active little squirrel whenever they can
secure him by stratagem or pursuit; the weasel is ever on the alert,
and, following his victims into their otherwise secure retreats, at-
tacks them with the most sanguinary spirit, and soon dispatches
the anxious parent as well as her tender and unconscious litter,
impelled alone to such savage deeds by an unquenchable thirst for
blood, for he seldom partakes of but a small portion of that which
he so wantonly destroys.
Several varieties of hawks, owls, and even snakes, capture
squirrels, and prey upon their young.
SQUIRREL-SHOOTING.
In sections of country where squirrels are numerous and the pur-
suit of them is followed as a sport, they are killed entirely with a
small-bored rifle. Our squirrel-shooters become surprisingly expert
in the use of this weapon, and perform some wonderful feats with
it during the squirrel season; they always aim for the head, so as
not to injure the skin, which is valuable to the furrier if not per-
forated with a ball. It is seldom that they miss a squirrel, even
when hiding in the topmost branches of our tallest forest-trees.
In portions of country where they are not so numerous, it is
necessary to repair to the woods attended with a squirrel-dog,—
that is, any kind of a terrier or spaniel mongrel which has been
taught “‘to tree a squirrel,” or, in other words, to rush about in
the woods till he either sees a squirrel run up a tree or gets upon
the fresh scent of one that has just taken to a tree. The dog
stops at the foot, and, looking wistfully and knowingly up the
tree, breaks forth into an incessant and musical bark that resounds
through the woods and soon brings the huntsman to his side. The
THE SQUIRREL. aol
next thing is to find the squirrel, which, perhaps, is spread flat out on
his belly, on one of the topmost branches of the tree, the color of
his fur assimilating so closely to that of the bark that it is almost
impossible to discover him. In a few moments, however, the
hawk-eyed shooter catches sight of his victim as he moves for
an instant to hide himself more securely from observation; the
sharp report of the rifle is immediately heard resounding afar in
the distance, and down tumbles the once frolicsome little squirrel,
a lifeless thing.
When pursued or watched, squirrels instinctively dodge around
the opposite side of the tree occupied by the sportsman, and, by
perseveringly pursuing this course, will often baffle the shooter till
his patience becomes entirely exhausted; it is, therefore, always
better to go in company when squirrel-shooting is the sport, so
that either yourself or companion may contrive to get sight of
every one that takes to a tree.
BARKING SQUIRRELS.
This original method of killing squirrels is pursued as a pas-
time by shooters inhabiting districts of country where these ani-
mals are numerous. The whole secret, or rather art, of barking
squirrels, is to strike with the bullet immediately under that por-
tion of the hmb upon which the animal is stretched out, in such a
manner that the blow will shiver the bark, and, killing the squirrel
by the concussion, send it whirling in the air to the ground, “as
if it had been blown up by the explosion of a powder-magazine.”’
This is a very artistic way of killing squirrels, and many of our
Pennsylvania hunters are very expert at it. The skin is not in-
jared, nor the flesh torn, by this mode of shooting.
FLESH.
The flesh of several varieties of squirrels is most excellent.
They should be voided and kept several days in cold weather.
308 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SCIURUS MIGRATORIUS. MIGRATORY GRAY SQUIRRELS.
DIMENSIONS.
“ An old male in winter pelage. INCHES. LINES.
ensth of head and. bodies... ..-.-ccsrercsesceeeearsans 122
5 tats (vertelras) Ue seiner ane tends aes 110
fi tail toiend of hai .i.2.-s820- eee eee 144 0
ete btiO hear screen aeasus tahun ce uaahs na reeiaatatuehts Oa
- Car tOreMOrOr LWP aan eons nee ace nere Veet)
Heel to end of: longest mail cayct.e... eee eee ee 276
ength ofsurjon the back. n2...o..<sscp.t <2 sc seeeene 0 8
Weight 1 pound 6 ounces.”—Avpuzon.
LOCALITY.
This species is the common gray squirrel of the North; it is
found in considerable abundance throughout the wild districts of
the Eastern States, and is very numerous in the mountainous
regions of Pennsylvania, but does not exist farther south than the
northern counties of Virginia. ;
HABITS.
The gray squirrel has few characteristics different from the
whole genus as before described.
They are much sought after as pets by our youth, as they bear
confinement with great good-humor, and soon become quite recon-
ciled to a captive’s life. Although mild and gentle, they are rather
uncertain in their disposition, and will at times bite their keepers
very severely. This species was formerly so abundant in the
agricultural districts of Pennsylvania that they committed great
depredations by invading the grainfields. To such an extent was
this havoc carried during the period of the early settlements, that
an ancient law existed, offermg a reward of six cents for every
squirrel destroyed; and Audubon informs us that in the year
1749 the bounty paid out of the treasury, in consequence of this
THE SQUIRREL. 359
enactment, was equivalent to 640,000 squirrels. This circum-
stance alone will prove the amazing numbers of these active little
animals. Even at the present time they are quite abundant in
the less-cultivated districts of Pennsylvania; and it is no uncommon
thing for a shooter to bring home a dozen or so, the result of a
day’s ramble through the dense forests.
THEIR MIGRATIONS.
During some seasons, in particular localities, squirrels, more
especially the Sciurus migratorius, appear to be seized with an
extraordinary desire to ramble or migrate from one section of
country to another. Speaking of this peculiarity on the part of
this species, Audubon remarks:—‘“‘It is stimulated either by
scarcity of food, or by some other imexplicable instinct, to leave
its native haunts, and seek for adventures or for food in some, to
it, unexplored portion of our land.”’
At such times they collect together in multitudes and move off
in immense droves; nothing can stop them in their onward
progress, and they never hesitate to swim the widest rivers which
intercept their march. Great numbers are necessarily drowned in ©
these bold undertakings, as well as destroyed by their enemies.
The circumstance of squirrels crossing rivers during their
migration proves the indomitable energy of character that these
active little creatures possess, as they are not at all partial to
water in any form, and always keep within-doors during a storm ;
and, if they should accidentally wet or even soil their feet, they
immediately stop to dry them by passing them through their bushy
tails several times.
Godman remarks on this subject:—‘ While travelling through
the State of Ohio, in the autumn of 1822, we had an opportunity
of witnessing something of this sort. Parts of the country ap-
peared to swarm with squirrels, which were so numerous that, in
travelling along the highroad, they might be seen scampering in
every direction; the woods and fields might be truly said, in the
country-phrase, to be ‘alive with them.’ A farmer who had a
360 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
large field of Indian corn near the road informed us that, notwith-
standing the continued exertions of himself and his two sons, he
feared he should lose the greater part of his crop, in addition to
his time and the expense of ammunition used in killmg and scaring
off the little robbers. This man and his sons frequently took
stations in different parts of the field, and killed squirrels until
their guns became too dirty longer to be used with safety; yet
they always found on returning that the squirrels had mustered as
strongly as before.”
The following extract, taken from Porter, will also give a good
idea of their numbers in Pennsylvania during a season of plenty :—
‘“‘These pleasant little fellows are at some seasons as scarce as
specie; at other times they migrate in millions. A few seasons
since, they pervaded the northern part of Pennsylvania to such
an extent, and in such numbers, that they did serious injury to
the crops; and they were slaughtered as enemies,—not popped over
humanely after the manner in which we murder those we love. The
squirrels were followed in due time by stately droves of turkeys;
and, later in the season, the rear was brought up by scores of
very serious half-famished-looking bears. A war of extermination
was declared against the squirrels; and I am sorry to say that
many overt acts of violence and bloodshed towards them preceded
the formal declaration of hostility. A party of twenty-four,
twelve on either side, all expert with the rifle, made a day’s hunt,
from sunrise to sunset,—the vanquished (that is, whichever side
shot the fewer number of squirrels) to pay the forfeit of the best
supper the town would afford, for all concerned; and they slaugh-
tered fifteen hundred and sixty-eight! merely carrying the scalps
to count with. A few days afterwards, a party of the same num-
ber went out, anxious to rival or eclipse the trophies of the first
day, after having prepared themselves well, with clean guns, rifles
of course, and all munition of war, their sights better regulated
and their barrels better browned than those of the party who
reaped the first day’s victory; and they brought in eighteen
hundred and nineteen! making about seventy-five apiece. One
THE SQUIRREL. 861
of the party in the last day’s hunt shot one hundred and thirty-
six, and that under unfavorable circumstances, being delayed three
hours, during the day, in getting a bullet up which he could not
ram down.”
Further on the writer remarks again:—‘‘ We killed thirteen off
one hickory-tree; and they were busily coming and going to and
from it all the time, perfectly regardless of what was going on.
All this immense importation of squirrels were either gray or black,
and not one single fox-squirrel (which is common in Eastern Penn-
sylvania) was to be seen. During the whole afternoon it was
nothing but loading and firing, until our rifle-barrels became so hot
that we had to lay them down occasionally to cool. The myriads
of squirrels that are to be found on a few acres of favorable feed-
ing-ground during the season of plenty is almost incredible to those
who have never witnessed it. All the wholesale slaughter that was
made during the season did not sensibly diminish their numbers;
for the rear of their countless army poured in and filled up the
places of the slain faster than were closed the thinned ranks of
Napoleon on the field of Waterloo.”
CHAPTER XXVIL.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.
USE OF GLOVES.
LL sportsmen whose occupation or pro-
fession makes it desirable that they should
have white and smooth hands (and there
are but few gentlemen whose employments
do not require this) ought, ex necessttate
rerum, to wear gloves when shooting, as
nothing, to our eyes, looks more owtré, if
not vulgar, than a coarse, scratched, and
searred hand. Not only from time im-
memorial with the polished communities of the Old World, but even
among the half-civilized inhabitants of other less-favored climes, a
small, smooth, and delicate hand was, and is even at the present
day, considered a special sign of nobility, or, at all events, re-
garded as one of the most striking features or tests of gentle
breeding, education, and refinement. This feeling, to a certain
extent, exists even In our country; and every intelligent sportsman,
therefore, will understand our motives for calling his attention
862
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 363
to what may be considered, by the mass, a very trite and silly
matter. However, no one, we imagine, even among this class of
fault-finders, independently of the mere looks of the thing, could
offer any particular objection to the protecting of his hands from
the rude contact of the piercing thorns and poisonous briers that
overrun our forests.
Old, half-worn kid gloves, that fit snugly but do not bind the
hand, are the kind best adapted to this purpose. If the covering
on the dexter-finger should interfere with the delicacy of touch so
necessary for pulling the trigger, a portion of it should be removed.
lt will also be necessary oftentimes to relieve the stricture of the
other fingers by making incisions lengthwise into the gloves.
GRASPING THE BARREL.
Guns are now made so light, and withal so beautifully balanced,
that there no longer remains any necessity, when presenting the
piece, of stretching the left hand up the barrel to the extreme
point of the stock; but it should rather be grasped close to the
guard, so that the hand may be protected as much as possible, in
the event of its bursting, from some of those untoward accidents
which occasionally occur even in the hands of the most skilful. This
mode of holding the gun was adopted some few years back by
English sportsmen, on account of the frequency of such accidents,
owing entirely to the inferior manufacture of the barrels for small-
arms. The bursting of barrels in England, however, at the present
time, is a very unusual occurrence, owing to the improvements in
the arts, or perhaps more to the enactments of Parliament regu-
lating these things; still, there are a great many worthless instru-
ments imported into this country from abroad, which are constantly
falling into the hands of every schoolboy, whose first lesson, there-
fore, in the use of the gun, should be the proper mode of present-
ing it, as there is no doubt but the hand is far more secure in this
position than in any other. We have heard of several guns burst-
ing during the last year or two, more particularly during the reed-
bird season, and several of the parties escaped without the slightest
364 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
injury, owing to this manner of holding the piece. If the hand,
however, had been extended along the whole length of the stock,
as formerly was the practice, we are satisfied, from actual examina-
tion of the shattered weapons, two or three of them would have lost
nearly the whole hand, and some of them perhaps have died of
tetanus, brought on by the severity of their wounds.
This plan of holding the gun cannot be so easily adopted by
duck-shooters, as the length and weight of the barrels preclude the
feasibility of rightly balancing the piece with the proper degree of
steadiness without extending the hand farther along the barrel
than the point of the guard.
This is rather unfortunate, as we know of no kind of shooting
in our country that is attended with so many distressing accidents
as the pursuit of wild fowl; and the most of these casualties arise
from this one cireumstance,—the bursting of the barrels, owing to
heavy charging. We would therefore caution our friends against
the use of a common duck-gun, and would also advise them to be
particular in loading, as well as in keeping their person out of the
bursting-range of a suspicious weapon in the hands of some one of
their more reckless companions, who perhaps prides himself on
being knocked over at every discharge of his piece. If the gun
is not already too heavy for comfort, it may be rendered more
manageable by loading the butt with metal, so as to make it
balance in the hands with more ease.
COCKING THE GUN.
In most kinds of shooting we are in favor of carrying the gun
cocked in preference to half-cocked, for the following reasons :—In
partridge-shooting, as before stated, the most of our hunting is
done in the thick coverts, and when the birds are scattered about
it is impossible to tell where or when they will get up, as the dog
is lost to view one-half of his time, and the first intimation we have
of his position, although within a few rods of us, is the whirring of
a bird from under our very nose, and of which we only catch a
glimpse in the distance as it rushes through the thick foliage or
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 365
hanging vines. This opportune moment must be instantly caught
at by the sportsman, or the game escapes; and we are convinced
that no one, no matter how expert or ready he may be, can find
sufficient time to cock his gun and fire in this short space of time.
In snipe and woodcock-shooting it is also better to carry the gun
cocked, as the game is so uncertain in its movements. And on the
score of prudence, we would apprehend more danger from a com-
panion cocking his gun on the springing of a bird behind him than
if he were to have the piece already prepared to fire, as in the
hurry and excitement of the moment he might not pull the cock
sufficiently far back to make it catch the tumbler, and the conse-
quence of this omission would be the discharge of the piece on a
level with one’s head, or perhaps the death of a valuable dog.
The gun, however, as before stated, should always be held in
such a position that, no matter when or how exploded, its contents
can do no mischief save the killing of a bird; and we would be
loath to shoot in company a second time with any one who seemed
thoughtless or hardy upon this subject, as life is too precious to be
placed in jeopardy on every shooting-excursion.
WADDING..
Patent wadding, or rather patent wads, have come so generally
into use, and are so well known to all our shooters, that it would
seem a waste of time to say any thing on the subject. These wads
are made of a species of thick, elastic, porous pasteboard, and are
numbered from one to twenty, so as to fit the bore of every de-
scription of gun. They are put up in boxes of from one hundred
to three hundred, and are very convenient, compact, and serviceable.
Those living at a distance from the city had better always be
provided with a “‘punch”’ for cutting wads, so that in case of need,
or for economy’s sake, they can be cut out of an old hat or stiff
pasteboard or leather.
If the “punch” be of good metal, a thick, heavy piece of lead
with a smooth surface can be used to cut the waddings on, without
injury to the instrument; a piece of hard-grained wood, however,
366 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN,
will answer the same purpose, and perhaps be more easily obtained.
There is a species of metallic wads sold by the gunsmiths for the
purpose of cleansing the gun when clogged during an excursion;
they are made large for the bore of the barrel for which they are
intended to be employed, and, as they fit very tight, are rammed
home with some degree of force. As they are pushed down the
barrel, they necessarily scrape from the inside all the dirt and
leading before them, which, being thus collected together in a mass
on the top of the powder, is expelled at the next discharge of the
piece. These wads will be found very useful under some circum-
stances, and will prevent, in some degree, the barrels from be-
coming uncomfortably clogged or leaded, although they cannot
relieve the chambers at all, which, by-the-by, is the most important
point to be cleansed. Nothing, however, will effectually do this
save the free use of water.
There are various other kinds of wadding to be obtained at the
gunsmith’s, all of which, however, we consider inferior,—at all
events, no better than the common patent paper wads in general
use, which are cheap, convenient, and safe.
The wadding over the powder should be forced down with con-
siderably more violence than the one placed over the shot, so as to
drive the powder into the chambers and nipple-hole and mould it
into a compact form. If the wadding over the shot be forced down
too hard, there will be a considerable recoil when the piece is dis-
charged; this of itself will soon teach the novice better. When
loading one barrel, never put the ramrod into the other; for if a
shot or two by chance should slip down on the side of the rod, it
will be very apt to become wedged in when we attempt to withdraw
it. We have known this accident to happen more than once; and
we can assure our friends that if it should occur with them they
will be bothered not a little, more particularly if they do not know
the proper plan to pursue in the dilemma. As soon as we dis-
cover that a ramrod is thus wedged in the barrel, we must arrest
our efforts to draw it out by main force, as this is impossible; we
should turn the muzzle downwards, and press the rod on the
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 367
charge as forcibly as possible, and the shot will disengage itself
from the sides of the barrel and roll out. This will not so easily
take place if we have been tugging and pulling at the rod suffi-
ciently long to mash the shot up into a flattened mass; but even
then it is the only plan to be pursued. It will be necessary, in
some cases, to give the ramrod a few gentle taps with a small
stick of wood to make it go down far enough to disengage itself
from the shot.
When one barrel is discharged, it will be more prudent when
loading again to try the ramrod on the wadding of the other bar-
rel, as the concussion of the first discharge is apt to loosen, if not
move, the wad a trifle from the shot; and if this were the case
there would be a greater tendency in the barrel to burst at the
next fire. We have never found that the concussion from one
single discharge was sufficient to loosen and throw the wad off the
shot of the other barrel far enough to do any injury; nor do we
think that such could be the case with a small fowling-piece, al-
though it might happen with a weapon of much larger calibre,—a
duck-gun, for example, particularly if slightly rammed and heavily
charged. We, however, for prudence’ sake, are in the habit of
sounding the loaded barrel after every discharge, provided the
two are not fired in rapid succession.
I say that I am accustomed to sound the other barrel for pru-
dence’ sake, and would recommend all my friends to do the same,
as it is well to accustom one’s self to this practice; otherwise we
may not think of it, even after firing the right-hand barrel four or
five times before discharging the left, as all young shooters and
even old are too apt to do; and in this case the repeated concussions
may haye moved the wad up the barrel several inches, which cir-
cumstance might occasion the bursting of the gun, owing to the
thinness of the barrel as it nears the muzzle. At all events, as
said before, an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
This accident, however, is much less liable to occur than one
might at first suppose, more particularly after the barrel has been
used a few times, as the fowling and leading of the gun are always
368 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
greater just at the point, or rather a little above, where the wad is
placed over the shot, and of course assists very materially in keep-
ing the charge home.
We have generally been in the habit of slightly anointing our
wads, before using, with sweet-oil; it certainly prevents the bar-
rels from so quickly becoming foul, and may be of service other-
wise. The best plan to do this is to empty a portion of the wads
out of a full box, and then pour a few drops of oil on the remain-
der and shake them up thoroughly for a few moments, when their
edges will be found pretty generally anointed.*
We were induced this season to make a trial of some French
wads, made of a species of coarse elastic felt, covered with a thin,
partially-glazed white paper, but were not pleased with them for
several reasons. Tirstly, the felting was not sufficiently stiff to
prevent the wad from turning occasionally in the barrel while
being pushed down. Secondly, the felt being of a coarse, spongy,
elastic consistency, and withal nearly a quarter of an inch thick,
it required some experience to decide exactly when it was driven
home on top of the powder; and we more than once inadvertently
rammed the powder entirely too tight, and a smart recoil was the
result. Thirdly, the paper that covers each side of the wad, much
to our astonishment, has a slight coat of glazing on it, which rubs
or peels off, and not only dirties the gun, but really scratches the
surface of the barrels. This paper, which adds considerably to
the stiffness of the wad,—in fact, almost constitutes its whole firm-
ness,—is merely stuck on the felt by a weak glue or paste; and the
consequence is that it gets loose in the pocket and drops off, there-
by rendering the wad perfectly unmanageable. We might urge
other cbjections, but we suppose the above will be sufficient to in-
duce our readers to avoid them.
The old style of paper wadding is entirely inadmissible in this
age of improvement; and in some sections of country the farmers
will not permit any one to shoot over their grounds who makes use
* Wads can be purchased with their edges already anointed.
é
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 3869
of paper wadding, for fear of setting fire to the brushwood, or
parched grass, during a drought.
PATENT WASHER, OR WASHING-ROD.
The patent washer, with all its various paraphernalia, is a very
useful article, and should never be omitted from the sportsman’s
catalogue. It is not only useful for washing the gun, but may be
used often very advantageously in the field for cleaning or rather
unloading the barrels which have become clogged up by repeated
firmg. The instrument to be attached to the washer for loosening
the particles of lead adhering to the sides of the barrels is called
a brush, and, being made of brass wire, or of some other metal
softer than that of the gun, it may be used with perfect freedom,
without fear of injuring the barrels, as some erroneously suppose,
by scratching them. If the sportsman be accompanied to the field
by a marker, we would advise by all means to send along with him
a patent washing-rod and a wire brush; in fact, the weight is so
trifling, and the inconvenience of carrying the instrument when
separated into its three distinct parts is so very inconsiderable,
that we would suggest that every shooter who goes out for a regular
day’s sport should’ slip one into his pocket, and its opportune ser-
vice some time or another will amply repay him for all his trouble.
POWDER-FLASKS.
It is useless to spend time in the consideration of all the various
kinds of powder-flasks now and formerly in use, but we will merely
remark that those made of copper, zinc, or German silver, and so
arranged that the portion of powder necessary for a load is entirely
cut off when being introduced into the barrel from the mass of
powder remaining in the flask, are the only kind of instruments
24
370 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
which are recognised at present, and very properly so, as many
terrible accidents have happened from the use of those of inferior
construction. The explosion of powder-flasks is not an unusual
circumstance, but we may say a matter of weekly ‘occurrence,
during the season of reed-birds and blackbirds in our neighborhood.
These explosions are owing entirely to the inferior quality of many
of the flasks that are sold in our city. The springs soon get out
of order, and the connection between the mass and the intended
charge is no longer complete; and, if the gun be overheated, as is
frequently the case in quick shooting, or, what is more probable, if
a particle of ignited wad should remain in the gun, an explosion is
sure to take place and the flask be blown from the grasp into a
thousand pieces, perhaps carrying a finger or two along with it, and
otherwise disfiguring and dangerously mutilating the sportsman.
We have been present at two accidents of this kind, and hope
never to see the like again; im one case, two fingers and a portion
of the thumb were carried away, the side of the face laid open from
the temple down to the corner of the mouth, and the right eye torn
almost entirely from its socket. In both instances the flasks were
out of order, and the connection between the charger and the body
of the flask was very incomplete.
The flask we use is the one invented, we believe, by Mr. Sykes,
an Englishman, and is the only one we consider safe beyond a
doubt. It is a little more troublesome at first, perhaps; but the
hand will soon become expert in the management of it, and then
we are satisfied that no sportsman would desire to use any other
kind, seeing the perfect safety and convenience of the invention.
As the construction of this flask will be better understood from a
drawing than by any description which we can give of it, we pre-
sent one on the following page.
This flask costs but a trifle, if any, more than the other kind,
and is the most perfect of all in its construction. It is hardly
necessary to describe the method of its operating, as every one at
a glance of the drawing will understand it. The neck of the
charger should be so formed that, by sliding upon itself, two or
|
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 371
three different quantities of powder can be measured out, to suit
the capacities of different guns. The size of the flask must of
course be regulated by the amount of shooting to be done. The
one we use will hold very nearly a pound of powder; and we
doubt very much whether these flasks were ever made of a larger
size, except when particularly ordered for wild-fowl shooting, or
other purposes of a similar nature. We are, however, in favor of
a small flask, for convenience as well as safety, even if we are
forced to replenish it several times during a day’s shooting. We
seldom or never more than half fill ours; but when we have no
marker along to carry extra ammunition, and hope to enjoy a fine
day’s sport, we are tempted to fill it to the brim. The dampness,
or rather the salt air, of the sea-shore, is very apt to disarrange
the spring or screw of these flasks, and it consequently requires
our particular attention; a little oil or mercurial ointment applied
to it will prevent the accumulation of rust.
ONE BARREL USED MORE THAN THE OTHER.
The right barrel, in the hands of all sportsmen, is used more
frequently than the left, and consequently in old guns is generally
found to be far thinner than the left. This habit ought to be
avoided as much as possible, and the novice should accustom him-
self to pull the trigger of the left-hand barrel with the same
facility that he does the right.
872 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SHOT-BAGS OR POUCHES.
The old style of shot-bag, strung around the neck, with its brass
charger attached, is entirely ruled out of the catalogue of sport-
ing apparatus, and is now seldom seen, except in the hands of
some old-fashioned country sporting friend, who still fondly clings
to the antiquated notions and prejudices of his forefathers. This
bag has given place to the more convenient and more likely-look-
ing leather pouch, which can be stowed away in the pocket, and,
though containing several pounds of shot, lies so-snugly in its
place as scarcely to be felt about the person. The charger at-
tached to it is made of brass or steel; the latter is preferable, and
we will explain in a moment our reasons for this preference. The
charger attached to the mouth of the pouch has a spring handle to
it, which governs the movements of the two small sliding-doors that
control the flow of shot from the pouch into the gun, or rather
measures out the proper quantity for a load. When this spring is
pressed upon and the pouch everted, with the mouth of the charger
inserted into the muzzle of the piece, the forward slide is raised up
and the inner slide is pressed down; the shot consequently between
these two slides enters the gun; the finger now being raised from
the spring or handle, the forward or upper slide resumes its position,
and the inner floodgate is open for the egress of the shot when
the pouch is everted.
The construction of this pouch is so simple and well known that
we fear lest we have wasted time in the description. What we
wished to say in reference to the superiority of the steel charger
over the brass one is, however, somewhat connected with this
description, and is nothing more nor less than that the brass
charger, being made of a much softer metal, is very apt to get out
of order from rough usage or from catching in the bushes and
briers. We on one occasion were greatly annoyed and incon-
venienced by this very accident, and therefore are particular in
dwelling upon it. In getting over a fence in somewhat of a hurry,
the top of the charger struck against the upper rail, and the
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 373
handle became so bent from the violence of the blow that neither
of the slides would work, and we were forced to pour the shot into
our hand and guess at the proper load during the balance of the
day, greatly to our annoyance.
If the charger had been made of steel, this could not have
happened.
The size or capacity of the shot-bag will of course correspond
to that of the powder. The slides attached to the charger are so
constructed that they can be adjusted to regulate the flow of shot
to any desired quantity. We on one occasion lost our powder-
flask from our pocket, when a long distance from quarters and sur-
rounded by birds, and, to make the matter more provoking, imme-
diately after encountered a large covey, into which we determined
to fire a raking cross-shot, in hope of killing several birds, by way
of making up our count and thus solacing ourselves under the
afflicting loss; but, strange to say, after fixing ourselves in the
very best position for a raking shot, we banged away and did not
bring down a single partridge. Since this mishap, we have been
in the habit of attaching by a small green worsted cord both our
powder-flask and shot-pouch to our person. The buttonhole of
the game-pocket, on either side, will be found the most convenient
place to attach the cord. When going through thick cover with our
powder and shot secured in this way, we feel perfectly easy about
them, as we know that if by any chance they should be pulled out
of their place we would immediately feel them dangling from our
person long before the cord could be broken.
PERCUSSION CAPS.
Great quantities of French and German caps are consumed in
America, not because they are superior to the English, but on the
score of cheapness. These caps are generally inferior to the
English, and they can be had of excellent quality by paying a
little extra for them; but even then they are not equal to those
made by the celebrated manufacturers of England.
The English caps of approved make are much larger and stronger
374 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
than the best French, and when exploded split with an even and
regular fracture, without flying, as is often the case with the
highest-priced French caps. Nothing is more annoying, and even
dangerous, than the use of caps made of metal so thin and brittle
that at every displosion they are torn into several small pieces,
which fly about into the hands, and even cut the face or perhaps
lodge in the eye. Several of our acquaintances have had narrow
escapes from losing their eyes by the use of these miserable arti-
cles, and we ourself have had our hands cut more than once when
forced to use them.
The composition of fulminating powder now used in caps is not
as corrosive in its properties as formerly, and is, therefore, less
objectionable. At first, large quantities of sulphur were used in
the manufacture of cap-powder, which of course made the com-
position very corroding to every portion of the gun it came in
contact with; at present, the tubes or chambers of the fowling-
piece suffer but little from this drug, as its use has been almost
entirely abandoned. When we say ‘‘abandoned,” we do not wish
to be understood that this corrosive powder is no longer employed
in the manufacture of cheap caps, for such is not the case; but,
on the contrary, nearly all those caps which come from the Con-
tinent, both German and French, are made with a mixture of
chlorate of potash, sulphur, and charcoal, and are therefore hurtful
to every portion of the gun they come in contact with. The filling
of the caps with this kind of powder is the principal reason why
they can be sold so cheap. The best English caps, and even those
of a far inferior make, are filled with fulminating powder made
from the action of nitric acid upon mercury. This composition is
far more expensive than the other, but is far superior in many
points. In the first place, it does not corrode the fowling-pieces ;
in the next place, it does not attract moisture like the other, and
will explode even after being in the water for several hours. It
detonates with more ease but greater force than the other, and is
not affected by a damp atmosphere.
Gold and silver, when exposed to the action of strong acids,
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 3875
will also produce a powerful fulminating powder, but of course
would be too expensive for general use, even if that obtained from
mercury did not answer. Caps, no matter how good they may be,
should be kept free from moisture; for if once wet, or even damp,
if not of very superior make, they are of course rendered more or
less uncertain in their action. They should fit the nipple exactly ;
for, if they be too small, they will be apt to fly off when the first
barrel is discharged, or drop off while carrying the piece; neither
will they always explode on the first blow of the hammer if they
are not well down upon the pivot.
Walker’s caps are considered the best article imported for gene-
ral use. They are put up in small round tin boxes, and numbered
in accordance with their size. An English author very justly
remarks of these particular caps:—‘“‘I have used several thousands
of them, and never found one fail.’’ Such has been our experience,
and we recommend them above all others.
Percussion caps entirely water-proof can also be had. They
were introduced several years since, and for some kinds of shoot-
ing are very necessary and serviceable. These caps are simply
protected from the effects of moisture and even water itself by a
species of impermeable varnish; those of superior make may re-
main in water for many hours without being in the least injured.
For wild-fowl shooting they possess incalculable advantages over
the ordinary cap, and a stock of them should be laid in, in antici-
pation of a prolonged shooting-excursion in the wilds of the
West.*
* A slip from the New York Spirit of the Times :—
SUBSTITUTE FOR PERCUSSION CAPS.
A London paper says :—‘‘ Mr. Pepper is lecturing at the Polytechnic on a new
composition recently discovered by Messrs. Winniwarter and Gersheim, of Vienna,
376 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
CAP-CHARGERS.
Cap-chargers are seldom or never used by sportsmen, it being so
much more expedient to carry the caps in a side-pocket appro-
priated to that purpose. ‘These chargers, however, are very inge-
nious and pretty instruments, and enable the shooter to tell at a
glance how many shots he has fired in the course of a day’s ex-
cursion, which is often interesting and instructive.
There are several different kinds of cap-chargers in use. Some
are made round, some long; the former are the more preferable,
as they are more convenient, not only to carry, but to handle.
There is also a variety of charger invented with a dial-plate
attached, the zndzcator of which exhibits at a glance the number -
of shots fired.
THE NIPPLE, OR PIVOT.
The orifice of the nipple should be large and countersunk, so
that the contents of the cap, when ignited, may be easily driven
into the chamber of the gun; when the pivot-hole or barrel is
large, it is far less liable to foul or choke up, which is frequently
the case when very small. The exterior edge should be rounded
off, so that the cap, when struck by the hammer, may be exploded
without cutting. Pivots are made either plain or with small rings
running around them, somewhat similar to the threading of a
‘‘patent gun-primers,” which claim to supersede the ordinary percussion cap.
The peculiar features of these ‘‘gun-primers” are—first, the absence of a metallic
coat or cover, and their uniform explosive power; the materials being so amalga-
mated that no residue is left behind after detonation. The materials are composed of
fulminating mercury, chlorate of potash, and sulphide of antimony,—the dangerous
properties of the ingredients being subdued or diminished by the application of
collodion, which is used as a cement. The primers are manufactured in various
shapes, and the composition is moulded into any required form, dried, and then
covered with a film of varnish and a bronze-powder. Thus, whatever may be the
shape of the pellet, it is entirely formed of detonating material, and the use of the
ordinary copper cap is wholly dispensed with, whilst the collodion acts as a water-
proof varnish, and protects the component parts from the action of moisture.
The invention is one which must claim the attention of the military and naval
authorities.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 37T
screw; this arrangement is intended to hold the cap more secure
when placed upon it.
THE COCK, STRIKER, OR HAMMER.
It is of the utmost importance that the centre of the hammer-
head should fall directly on the centre of the nipple, and thus, by
an even, regular blow, explode the cap; if slovenly made in this
respect, a second blow will be very often requisite before ignition
takes place.
The head of the striker should always be made tubular,—that is,
surrounded with a rim, guard, or nose; and this nose should never
be made open in front, as is too often the case. This opening is
of no use whatever, save to allow particles of caps to fly out into
one’s hands and eyes; whereas, if the nose is perfectly uniform
all around, the cap becomes entirely enclosed when the explosion
takes place, and it is utterly impossible for a single fragment of
the cap to escape.
It is very seldom that the recoil occasioned by the detonation of
a cap is sufficiently powerful to throw the hammer up. If such,
however, should be the case, it has been proposed to have the
mainspring made adequately strong to prevent this accident. As
a still greater protection to the eyes from the fragments of the
shattered caps, the hammer is usually made with a circular rim at
the point where the nose joins the head, and the whole is still
further guarded by ‘‘a breeching-wall elevation.”
CARTRIDGES.
Of late years, cartridges are very extensively used by sports-
men, and have proved of immense advantage in many kinds of
shooting ; in fact, some of our friends use them altogether on every
variety of game, and pronounce their general introduction the
most happy thought of the age. Cartridges are very simple in
their construction, and can be made by the sportsman himself or
any of the younger members of his family, or, what is better, can
be purchased for a trifle of the gunsmith in any reasonable quan-
378 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
tity at a few hours’ notice. The process for making them is as
follows:— Having procured a round plug of wood about four
inches long, perfectly cylindrical and two or three sizes smaller
than the bore of the gun, a few sheets of strong pliable paper,
together with a quantity of thin-cut waddings and a convenient
measure for the shot, we commence operations as follows:—The
paper is first cut into pieces of the proper dimensions for holding
the shot, which of course will be regulated by the size of the gun
and our previous experience. This being done, we place ourself
before a table with every thing convenient around us; a wad is
now grasped by the left index-finger and thumb, and placed
against the inner extremity of the cartridge-roller, and there held
by the finger and thumb of the right hand; one of the cartridge-
papers is now put under the roller, with sufficient of its surface
extending beyond the roller, say half an inch, as, when folded
upon itself, as hereafter to be described, will make a tight cylin-
der. The paper, wad, and roller, all being arranged as above
described, by a rapid and dexterous movement of the hand the roller
is forced to turn in an even and regular manner over the surface
of the table, carrying the paper along with it, which is made to
encircle the roller as tightly as possible. The projecting por-
tion of the paper is now folded snugly upon the wadding at the
end of the roller, and the forming of the cylinder finished by
raising the roller and giving the end of it a smart tap or two on
the table, by way of pressing the folds more securely together.
The next movement is to withdraw the roller from the cylinder,
leaving the wadding at the bottom to strengthen it; the shot is.
then poured into the cylinder from the measure already agreed
upon, and, after being well shaken down, another wadding is placed
over it, and the projecting edges of the paper folded tightly down.
By this process we will have the proper load of shot in a close,
compact, and convenient form, which may be carried in the pocket
loosely, or in small packages of fives and tens. When the fingers
once become familiar with the handling of the implements neces-
sary for making cartridges, the quantity that can be put up in the
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 379
course of an hour by one person is astonishing. In making car-
tridges for duck-guns, it will be necessary to use stouter paper
than that used for partridge-shooting; and, to make them hold the
additional weight of shot more securely, the edges of the paper,
when being folded down, may be touched with a solution of
gum-tragacanth.
Having given directions for the making of cartridges, it is now
the proper time to say something in reference to their merits, or
rather their claims over the ordinary way of loading.
In general shooting, there is no doubt in our mind but that
shot-cartridges are a very useful invention, and that much greater
numbers of birds can be killed with them than in the ordinary style
of pouring the shot into the gun. In the first place, we can load
with so much more facility that, in some kinds of shooting, we
have greatly the advantage. For example, in rail and reed-bird
shooting, or even in wild-fowl shooting, when the ducks are flying
as fast perhaps as we can load, the one that loads the fastest will
of course get the greater number of shots and the most birds.
In the second place, the shot thrown from a cartridge will be
carried in a much more compact form to a distance of ten or fifteen
yards farther than by the old method of loading. This being the
case, it is reasonable to conclude that a much larger proportion of
long shots will be successful than when the shot is projected from
the gun in a loose state, and consequently when the game is wild
will be of immense advantage. In close shooting, cartridges have
no advantage over the old style of loading,—in fact, are not so
certain in their effect,—as the shot, being carried in a compact mass
for a considerable distance, requires the same deadly aim for a near
object as if a ball was to be fired out of a gun, and not a hundred
pellets of shot; and even if the bird should be struck at this
distance the probability is that it would be torn in pieces,—at all
events, dreadfully mangled. These are the only inconveniences
arising from the use of cartridges such as we have described; all
of which, however, may be entirely done away with by charging
one barrel with loose shot and the other with a cartridge, or by
380 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
shooting deliberately,—that is, waiting till the bird gets at a proper
distance before firing. Lither of these plans will obviate all the
difficulties.
In pigeon-shooting matches, cartridges are far superior to loose
shot; and one of the best pigeon-shooters among our friends in-
formed us that, at a match contested by him and some others of
our acquaintance a few days since, the only two birds which he
missed were those fired at with loose shot. This experience cer-
tainly is very strong in favor of the cartridges. in fact, so much
superior are plain shot-cartridges considered to loose pellets, that
their use has been ruled out of pigeon-matches pretty generally.
In wild-fowl shooting, as before stated, shot-cartridges made of
strong paper are of great advantage, and the distance at which Hley’s
patent wire cartridges will kill is almost incredible. We have seen
canvas-backs killed with a small partridge-gun loaded with wire
cartridges at a height that would seem to preclude the possibility
of reaching them even with a large duck-gun.
Eley’s patent cartridges are a most excellent invention. The shot
is enclosed in a thin sheet of wire gauze, which of course will not
burst so soon as the paper frame, and consequently will carry its
contents much farther in a mass, and therefore for general close
shooting they are more objectionable than our home-made ones. In
wild-fowl, squirrel, deer, or even grouse-shooting, wire cartridges
will be found to be of incalculable advantage; and the only objec-
tion to be urged against them in these cases is their expensiveness.
When using paper cartridges, it is more necessary to examine
the state of the second barrel after the discharge of the first than
when using loose shot, as paper cartridges are more apt to loosen
and move up the barrel than when loose shot has a tight-fitting
wadding put over it; this danger, however, may be obviated by
placing a wadding over the cartridge, and in this way it will be
doubly secure.
Paper cartridges are used very extensively in rail-shooting,
owing to the facility of loading with them, and also from their
being less liable to lead the barrels than the loose shot.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 381
Some persons are in the habit of pasting the edges of their
cartridges with a trifle of gum arabic or tragacanth. We do
not suppose this plan to be of any special benefit, except where
very large shot is used for some particular kind of shooting.
Pasting partridge or rail-cartridges is worse than useless, as the
gum will make the barrels sticky after repeated firing, and conse-
quently they will become dirty much sooner than if they were made
without the paste; and, to say the least of it, rolling them in
this way will give much additional labor, without a corresponding
advantage.
SPRING-CRAMP.
It is well for sportsmen to be provided with a spring-cramp for
the purpose of removing the mainspring of the lock if it should
become too weak, or, if broken, to replace it by another. When
using this instrument, care should be had not to cramp the spring
more than is absolutely necessary to place it in its proper position,
or its elasticity might be injured by the unusual pressure. Before
applying the cramp to the spring, it is necessary to put the lock
on full cock; then, if the hammer be let down, the mainspring will
fall out.
-POWDER AND SHOT GAUGE.
This little affair is a very useful and simple contrivance, and the
possession of it will save the sportsman, at times, much mane
and speculation as to the correct loading of his gun.
We are somewhat at a loss how to speak of this instrument, lest
we may perplex our readers without making the description suffi-
ciently lucid for their comprehension, when a single glance at the
gauge itself would clear up the whole difficulty. We will there-
382 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
fore preface our remarks by stating that this cunning little
machine is intended to proportion the charge of powder to a cer-
tain measure or weight of shot.
It is a general rule among sportsmen to use the same bulk of
powder as shot; that is, to have the charger of the powder-flask so
graded that it will just hold the usual charge of shot. This, to-be-
sure, is very easily arranged; but then it is often necessary, at all
events very satisfactory, to know the exact weight of both powder
and shot that a gun shoots well with; all this, then, may be got at
in a moment of time by the use of this instrument.
The gauge is formed of two brass cylinders eleven-sixteenths of
an inch in diameter and three and three-quarter inches in length,
one fitting or sliding within the other; the inner one is solid at
each end, and has a gauge of weights cut on its surface, somewhat
similar to those seen on the glass measures used by apothecaries.
On one side, extending the whole length of the cylinder, is the
grading for weighing the shot, from one-fourth ounce to three
ounces; on the other side is the grading for determining the weight
of like proportions of powder, from one-fourth drachm to seven
drachms.
When we wish to ascertain the weight of a certain proportion of
shot, all that is necessary is to lay hold of the rim that encircles
the end of the inner cylinder and pull it (the cylinder) out suffi-
ciently to leave space enough between the top of the outer cylinder
and the end of the inner cylinder, which is now withdrawn from
within the outer one, so as to create the requisite vacuum for the
shot to be measured or weighed.
This being accomplished, the divisions of the grading cut on the
cylinder will show not only the required weight of the shot, but
also the exact weight of the same bulk of powder.
This instrument is not, of course, as precise as a pair of fine
scales, but nevertheless is sufficiently correct for all ordinary pur-
poses. From the operations of this gauge we have ascertained
that one ounce of shot will fill the same space as two drachms and
three-eighths of powder; one ounce and a half of shot, within a
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 383
fraction of a space equal to three and a half drachms; two ounces,
within a fraction equal to four drachms and three-quarters; three
ounces, within a fraction equal to seven drachms; and so on.
NIPPLE OR PIVOT-WRENCH.
This is a very useful and necessary implement: indeed, no
sportsman can consider himself properly equipped without one.
We have had several different kinds in the past few years, but
never had one till very lately that seemed to answer our purpose
in all respects. This wrench is made entirely of what is termed
wrought steel, and, having a transverse handle to it similar to a
metal gimlet, a powerful purchase can be had on the shoulder
» of the nipple, insomuch that, when applied with the requisite force,
the nipple must come out or the shoulder must yield and break off.
On either end of the handle of the wrench is a small brass cap,
nicely fitted on and forming a continuation of the handle; on screw-
ing this off, an extra nipple will be found in each; and on the top of
the handle, running down into the body of the wrench, is a neat,
brass-headed gun-picker. These caps and picker not only give a
handsome finish to the wrench, but add very materially to its im-
portance.
Wrenches made with wooden handles are not generally good for
much, as the nipples frequently get rusted in the gun, and it then
requires a very powerful force to start them, which cannot be ap-
plied except with a wrench having a transverse metal handle. We
have suffered from this inconvenience more than once, and have
seen others in the same predicament. The wooden handle is also
liable to be cracked or broken; it also takes up far more room
than the metal one, which, upon the whole, is smaller, stronger,
and neater.
The wrenches having their handles so formed that they fold
up on the body of the instrument are certainly very convenient
for the pocket, but they are not so strong as the kind above
referred to.
384 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SPORTING-KNIFE.
There is nothing, at times, more useful than a sporting-knife,
which comprises all the requisites for probing, examining locks,
dividing luncheon, &c. &c. The knife should not be too large or
complicated, but only contain those instruments which may at some
time or another prove useful; for instance, it should not be defi-
cient in a probe, a pivot-picker, a nipple-wrench, a turn-screw, a
fleam for bleeding dogs, and one, perhaps, for horses also, as this
noble animal is so frequently a necessary accompaniment to a
shooting-trip that we should be provided with means to preserve
his well-being in case of need; for instance, if he should be at-
tacked with a fit of blind staggers, or any other affection requiring
bleeding.
Such knives can be obtained at the gunsmiths’ or fancy sporting
stores, and should be as plain as possible in its appearance, and
valuable for its intrinsic worth. If one-half or two-thirds of the
price of the instrument is expended upon the finishing and carving
of the handle or other fancy work, we cannot expect to find good
metal in the blades.
CARRYING GAME.
The old-fashioned, cumbersome game-bag is now entirely out of
use, and all kinds of game are carried in pockets appropriated to
that purpose in the shooting-coat, of which we will speak more
particularly under another head.
Before putting birds in the pocket, their feathers should be
smoothed down; and, if the sportsman takes pride in the appear-
ance of his game, the blood ought to be wiped from their plumage
before it becomes hard and congealed.
GUNNING-CLOTHES.
Fustian undoubtedly makes the most serviceable coat for field-
shooting in these latitudes, and, although entirely of cotton fabric,
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 3885
is quite warm enough for all kinds of sport, even in the coldest
weather, provided we are in motion.
A coat made of this material is rather warm and heavy for late
snipe-shooting or cock-shooting, as the texture of the cloth is so
very close that it will hardly permit of the passage of the insen-
sible perspiration from the body. For this latter kind of work we
prefer a brown linen coat.
A fustian coat has an important advantage over all kinds of
woollen articles, that it does not offer a harbor for moths during
the idle season; and, moreover, having very little or no nap, it
neither catches the briers so easily nor gets torn by the twigs or
thorns.
“We never had but one woollen shooting-coat ; and that was fairly
torn to pieces in one season, and the remnants eaten up the follow-
ing summer by the moths.
The pants and vest should all be made of the same material,
and have a sufficient quantity of pockets for all purposes. Our
suit contains sixteen pockets, and we find them all more or less
useful. The cap had likewise better be made of fustian: it will
prove warm, strong, and in a measure water-proof; it should
have a large front to protect the eyes, and a back to put down
at pleasure, to turn the rain off from the neck and shoulders.
A cap made after this style is called by the cap-makers the
Napoleon cap.
The cap we use has no lining in it, and we find it quite warm
enough without it for most kinds of shooting; if the weather,
however, is very cold and boisterous during wild-fowl shooting, we
place a quilted lining in the crown, which makes it as comfortable
as need be. ‘The fustian coat will not answer for wild-fowl shoot-
ing, as it is not sufficiently warm. Nothing but wool will do for
this purpose,—to preserve which, in the summer season, from the
annoying attacks of the moths, is no small affair; however, we
will try to put our readers in a may effectually to defy the efforts
of these little torments.
A bag sufficiently large to hold all the woollen shooting-clothes
25
386 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
should be made of strong linen, and, before putting the clothing in
it, it should be wrung out of turpentine and hung up to dry. The
clothes, after being well beaten and brushed, are put into this bag
with pieces of camphor distributed in the pockets. The bag is
then sewed up and put away in some dark hole, and not opened
until the return of the ducking-season, when all will be found right.
Without this precaution, a whole suit will be riddled by these vora-
cious little torments in the course of one summer. Fustian, as
before said, being manufactured entirely of cotton, is, of course,
not liable to the attacks of moths.
IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN GUNS.
Sportsmen cannot be too particular in cleaning their guns, so as
to prevent the accumulation of any thing like rust. It would seem
almost absurd for us to advise our readers never to put their arms
away without washing them out thoroughly and rubbing them per-
fectly dry with a good supply of that very essential article vulgarly
termed ‘‘ elbow-grease.” Nevertheless, this recommendation is a
necessary precaution, a3 we were informed, a few days since, that
one of our oldest and most experienced sporting friends is in the
habit of laying his gun by at the conclusion of each shooting-
season without even so much as swabbing it out; and, to make the
matter still worse, he strongly recommends and insists upon this
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 3887
course as the proper plan to prevent the engendering of rust.
Whether or not he also advised the standing of the barrels in a
damp cellar for a month or so, we did not ascertain, but might be
led to infer that he could not certainly object to this addition.
When a barrel is fired, the metal of course becomes heated, and
the natural consequence of the application of this heat is a rapid
condensation and accumulation of moisture upon the inside of the
barrel,—the same as we often see collected upon the window-panes
of our houses on a cool November morning. This fact may be
clearly ascertained, if any one of my readers doubts the assertion,
by merely thrusting the little finger into the muzzle a minute or
two after firing, when it will be found that the inside of the gun is
covered with a certain degree of dampness which increases the
farther we go down the barrel. This moisture, in connection with
some of the ingredients used in the manufacture of powder, soon
creates a deposition of rust of a most corrosive character, which,
if allowed to remain for several weeks, will materially injure the
weapon.
When a rust-spot or flaw is once made on the inside of a
barrel, it is very difficult to be got at; and even after the most
cautious cleaning a small particle of moisture will be found cling-
ing to its uneven surface, which will continue to corrode the barrel
at this point, until at last a hole is actually eaten through, pro-
vided the gun does not burst before this takes place. A rust-flaw
upon a fine sword-blade is a most difficult thing to get rid of,
although easily got at, and will often defy the rubbing and polish-
ing of the most persevering amateur. How much more difficult,
therefore, must it be to remove it when entirely hidden from sight
far down the barrel!
Some shooters are in the habit of putting their guns away
loaded and letting them remain in this condition for weeks at a
time, and then fearlessly firing them off, little dreaming of the
danger they run by this piece of negligence, owing to the accu-
mulation of rust around the powder and along the barrel. That
the corrosive action of rust is the frequent cause of those terrible
3888 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
accidents that often occur among ignorant and careless shooters no
one will for a moment question; and all have noticed that the
bursting of guns is far more frequent with those who reside in the
neighborhood of the sea-shore than in any other part of the coun-
try, owing in a great measure to the fact that the salt moisture of
the atmosphere produces rust with so much rapidity that it is
almost impossible to keep the barrels clear of it, even with the most
persevering industry. Of this, however, we will speak more fully
under another head.
We are astonished that any sensible sportsman could for a mo-
ment entertain or endeavor to promulgate such a ridiculous notion
as putting away a gun dirty to preserve it from rust! In fact,
we cannot understand his motive or conjure up one single good
reason for so doing; but, on the other hand, we are satisfied that
such a course would be attended with the most injurious results.
SHOOTING-BOOTS.
How frequently have we seen one of our sporting friends viec-
timized during a whole day’s shooting by the tortures of a pair
of badly-made and ill-constructed boots! and how often have we
sympathized with him in his misfortunes, as well as laughed at his
negligence in being caught in such an unsportsmanlike predicament.
Nothing adds more to the comfort and good-humor of a sports-
man than a perfectly-fitting and well-modelled boot, and nothing
is more easily obtained if recourse is had to a smart workman. If
walking-boots are not made full, large, and easy, no comfort can
be expected from them, as they will be sure either to cramp the
feet, pinch the toes, gall the heel, skin the instep, or arrest the free
circulation of the blood and fatigue the wearer almost to death.
It is of no use, certainly, to enumerate any more of the miseries
attending a pair of bad-fitting shooting-boots, as many of our
readers no doubt, some time in the course of their lives, have had
a practical demonstration of the matter, and perhaps can speak
more feelingly on the subject than we can, as we have always been
very particular in the choice of these articles, and consequently
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 389
have seldom been caught in the unfortunate situation above alluded
to. There are, however, some other objections attending the own-
ership of a pair of tight boots, particularly when damp; that is,
they are very inconvenient to get on, and, we might say, still worse
to pull off. And, moreover, nothing injures the stiffening of the
heels so much, and makes them perfectly good-for-nothing, as
tugging at them with a bootjack or working into them with the
toe of the other foot or over the cross-bar of a chair: the stiff
sole leather with which the heel is braeed becomes perfectly soft,
anc consequently will be sure to run over on the next trial. What
is more ludicrous than to see a bad-tempered man, half bent, danc-
ing and prancing over a Small bar-room, with one foot in a slipper
and the other stuck fast half-way down a tight boot, striving in
vain with all the energies of his body to force it on? Such scenes
are not uncommon among sportsmen, and often give rise to much
merriment on the part of the ‘knowing ones.” That a tight boot is
very uncomfortable, no one will deny; and a boot made too large
for the foot has likewise its mconveniences, as it will be sure to
ride up and down on the heel, and sooner or later will rub the foot
into blisters of the most painful character. There is a happy
medium between these two evils of loose and tight boots, which
every intelligent mechanic knows how to arrive at without any
directions from the sportsman; ‘‘in a word, the boot should be
made to fit the foot, and not the foot to fit the boot,” as is too
often the case.
Shooting-boots should be made of stout calfskin of the very
best quality, with broad soles, square toes, wide, deep, and low
heels. If the heels be made too narrow and high, the stiffening
will soon give way when softened by the long application of mud
and water, in connection with the pressure of the heel of the foot,
which will soon be carried entirely over the frame of the sole; and
we know of nothing more uncomfortable and fatiguing than to be
forsed to walk all day long with a “‘run-over boot.” This accident,
bad as it is, can hardly be prevented with any degree of caution
in snipe-shooting, as the stiffening of the heel becomes so very so‘t
890. LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
while wading about in the mud and mire, and the walking is so
very uneven, that the heel almost invariably pushes itself by de-
grees entirely over the frame, and we have abandoned all hope of
ever having a decent-looking pair of boots for this kind of shoot-
ing. When, however, they have run over, they may be braced up
with pieces of sole-leather, and the heel itself slightly raised on the
same side, so as to throw the weight of the foot in the opposite
direction; in this way they will stand a great deal of hard work,
and, with a little management, can be made to last a long while.
We have been’so much annoyed with our boots running over while
snipe-shooting, that we proposed to our bootmaker to put in a
metallic plate of some kind between the layers of leather usually
employed for making this portion of the boot firm and unyielding
to the pressure of wet and irregular walking; but he made so many
objections to our proposition that we were forced to abandon the
idea for the present. However, we intend to investigate the sub-
ject at some future time.
Some sportsmen recommend the use of low, laced boots for
Ss snipe-shooting, as they say it is impossible to keep your feet dry,
“no matter how careful you may be, and therefore it is much better
not to worry yourself with long and heavy boots, warranted to be
water-proof. We have tried both water-proof boots and non-water-
proof bootees, and have at times been as much disgusted with one
as the other,—giving the preference now to one and now to the
other,—until we have at last nearly come to the conclusion that an
old pair of easy walking-boots, with holes in them to let the water
run out as fast as it flows in, is about as comfortable a kind of boot
for snipe-shooting as one can wear, as the feet will get wet at all
hazards,—at least our feet will; for if the boots be made high, even
to reach far above the knees, we are sure, some time in the course
of the day, to get into a ditch perhaps up to our middle; and as
often as we have gone out with the determination of not getting
our feet wet, just so often have we returned home with them soak-
ing, and many a pang of rheumatism have we suffered in conse-
quence of our want of care. We do not pretend to say that boots
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 891
cannot be rendered water-proof, for we know to the contrary, and
purpose giving some receipts for making even ordinary leather im-
pervious to water; but we wish to say that, so far as we are con-
cerned, we have never yet been snipe-shooting without wetting our
feet; but, at the same time, must confess that we are not easily
deterred from crossing a ditch, and neither are we a very expert
hand at walking a rickety fence-rail or a slippery log.
Shooting-boots should never be made too heavy: it is a mistaken
idea to have them made of the stoutest leather and with the
heaviest soles, weighing perhaps several pounds apiece, inde-
pendently of the mud which generally adheres to them. A pair of
boots of this description, hanging like lumps of lead to one’s feet,
will tire and wear out any sportsman, no matter how lusty he
may be, in just half the time that would have been the case if he
had used a pair of strong and light boots.
Some of our sporting friends, however, who are as averse to
getting their feet wet as a cat is to moistening her paws, insist
upon water-proof boots with leggins of India-rubber cloth attached
to the tops of them and made to fasten half-way up the leg. This
plan, with some caution in picking out our way over the ditches
and mud-holes, will, no doubt, succeed very well; but when we
follow snipe we seldom have either the patience or time to hunt up
good crossings or sound every quagmire for a firm footing, and
therefore take it pretty much rough-and-tumble, just as it comes.
We have tried laced boots, but have discarded them entirely, as
we dislike to have our legs exposed by rolling our pants up, and
we have an equal aversion to have them dangling muddy and wet
around our feet; we have, however, never made use of leggins,
recommended in connection with laced boots for this kind of shoot-
ing; they, doubtless, would answer a very good purpose.
892 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
DRESSING FOR SHOOTING-BOOTS.
There are a great variety of receipts for making mixtures calcu-
lated to render boots water-proof; we will give some of them for
what they are worth, leaving our friends to make a more thorough
trial of their qualities than we have had an inclination to do as
yet, for we have never been over-anxious to preserve our feet dry,
and, when we did think worth while to make the effort, we have
seldom found any preparations much superior to a good greasing
with dubbing the night before going out, and stopping up the seams
with a mixture of beeswax and grease melted slowly over the fire,
or, if these ingredients are not at hand, the free use of a tallow can-
dle at the moment of going out for the day, will generally answer
the same purpose.
Porter’s edition of Hawker furnishes us with much information
on this subject; and we should pass the matter over without any
further notice, if we were sure all our readers had provided them-
selves with this valuable work; in fact, we might with perfect justice
to ourselves omit this subject as well as many others without a single
comment, as they have already been largely dwelt upon in Hawker:
and if a sportsman should read our unpretending volume without
providing himself with the other far more valuable work, he does
not deserve to be well posted up in sporting-affairs, as Hawker is
considered the prince of sportsmen in England, and his editor, Por-
ter, is too well known in this country to need any puffing from us.
The best kind of grease for dressing boots is shoemakers’
dubbing. We have used it for years in preference to all other
mixtures: it repels the water, and keeps the leather soft and
pliable. The boots should always be moistened before applying it,
and it should not be put on too frequently, or the leather may be
rendered too porous. Before grease of any kind is applied to
boots, they should be rubbed quite clean and the hard mud taken
from the seams; otherwise the leather, as well as the thread, will
rot much faster and the boots repel the water far less than if they
were perfectly clean when the grease is put on.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 393
RECEIPT.
Drying oil, (linseed, we presume,) one pint;
Yellow wax, two ounces;
Turpentine, two ounces;
Burgundy pitch, one ounce.
Melt these over a slow fire, and then add a few drachms of essen-
tial oil of lavender, or thyme; with this your boots are to be rubbed
with a brush, either in the sun or at some distance from the fire.
The application must be repeated as often as the boots become dry
again, until they are fully saturated.— Hawker.
This mixture is an excellent dressing for boots generally; it
will not render them water-proof, but it will cause them to repel
the rain extremely well.
An excellent dressing for shooting-boots, or any thing else that
is exposed to foul weather, is a solution of gum caoutchouc, or
India-rubber, as it is commonly called, in strong spirits of turpen-
tine or ether. It is made as follows:—A piece of caoutchouc, the
size of a walnut, is cut into small pieces and put into a wide-
mouthed phial, with four ounces of turpentine or ether, and
allowed to remain two or three weeks, according to the strength
of the solvent, when it will become of the consistence of a thick
varnish, and may be applied with a brush to every part of the
boot, inside as well as outside. If ether is employed to dissolve
it, it will require but a very short time to make this preparation.
The phial should be tightly corked; otherwise the ether will lose
all its strength, or, in other words, evaporate. This preparation,
or one analogous to it, is the article sold for several years past as
an application to old harness and wagon-covers, to make them
flexible and water-proof.
Our friend Mr. Chandler sent us a quantity of water-proof
dressing for boots, which we used on several occasions, and found
to answer a most excellent purpose, so much so that we requested
him to furnish us with a receipt for making it, which he very
kindly did, as will be seen from the following note :—
094 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
“Dar Docror:—I have had such an excellent opportunity for
testing the good qualities of my water-proof preparation during a
late shooting-excursion, that I can recommend it still more highly
than before.
“The composition is as follows:—One-quarter of a pound of
gum elastic, (caoutchouc,) with sufficient naphtha, oil of sassafras,
seneka, or any other solvent, to completely liquefy it; after this
is effected, a pound of tallow and three-quarters of a pound of
beeswax should be melted together, and in connection with the
dissolved gum should be kept over a slow fire until they are inti-
mately commingled. When using the preparation, the boots should
be slightly wet and warmed: if the mixture is then properly
rubbed in, it is almost impossible for the water to penetrate. In
addition to this, I generally have the soles of my boots soaked in
copal varnish.
“This preparation, when used for common walking-boots or
shoes, does not prevent a proper gloss being produced by blacking.
I shall be glad if this is of any service to you, and am confident
that it needs but a single trial to convince of its great efficacy.
“Very truly, yours,
M. T. W. CHANDLER.”
Another :—
“For new boots, half a pound of beeswax, one-quarter pound
of resin, and the like quantity of mutton-suet or tallow; boil them
together, and anoint the boots well with the preparation lukewarm.
If the boots have been used, beef-suet to be substituted instead of
mutton.”
Mr. Chandler informs me that he has his shooting-boots made
straights,—that is, not right and left,—and finds that they wear
longer, and are far less liable to run over, as they can be changed
from one foot to the other as soon as they show a disposition to
run either to the right or left. The idea is an excellent one; and
we are somewhat surprised that it never occurred to us, more
especially as we have had so much trouble with our boots in this
very particular.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 395
Another :—
‘“‘A pint of boiled neatsfoot-oil ;
Half a pound of mutton-suet;
Six ounces of beeswax ;
Four ounces of resin.
“These ingredients are to be melted together over a slow fire,
and then freely applied to every portion of the boots, after warm-
ing at the fire; this dressing is especially adapted to new leather.”
Another :—
‘A pint of boiled linseed oil;
Beeswax, one ounce;
Burgundy pitch, half an ounce;
Spirit of turpentine, two ounces.
‘‘ Melt the first three ingredients in an earthen pot, then add the
turpentine; to be rubbed in when the leather is tolerably dry,
before the fire.”
396 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SHOOTING-STOCKINGS.
Woollen stockings are preferable for walking to any other kind.
They should be regular made,—that is, woven without any seam; for,
if they be joined together at their heels or toes with a needle, the
irregularities of the seam are very apt to rub the parts and pro-
duce considerable uneasiness, and often blisters. Do not suppose
that any common-made stockings, such as can be bought for a few
pennies the pair, will answer every purpose and may then be thrown
away at the termination of the trip. ‘The plan, in the first place,
is not an economical one, neither is it a convenient one; for with:
the addition of a few more pennies an excellent article, that would
last a whole season, might be obtained, and, by always having
them on hand, we would not, as is often the case when the stockings
are thrown away, find our sporting-wardrobe partially, if not en-
tirely, deficient of these essentials just on the point of starting.
These low-priced common stockings are never regular made, but
are sewed together at the seams; they are also badly shaped,
particularly at the heels, and generally uncomfortable to walk in,
as well as very rotten, and in every respect unserviceable to a
sportsman.
We are now using stockings sent to us by a friend from England,
and said to be unversally used there for ordinary shooting: the
soles, toes, and heels, are made of fine wool, the other parts of the
stocking being formed of soft and stout cotton.
We haye given several pairs of these stockings very hard ser-
vice, and find them to answer admirably; in mild weather they
certainly are preferable to stockings made wholly of wool, as they
heat the feet less, absorb far less water, and get dry much sooner.
If our shooting-boots be too large, the difficulty will often be
removed by wearing two pairs of stockings.
CLEANING GUNS.
The process of cleaning a gun, although simple in itself, is not,
however, thoroughly understood, much less practised, by many of
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 397
our sporting friends, as we have too often observed when on shoot-
ing-excursions. Nota few of them spend half an hour or more over
their guns, rubbing and squirting dirty water about, when the
whole might be completed in a few minutes if a certain system was
adopted. Our method for this important duty towards our fowl-
ing-piece is as follows :—
The barrels are first to be removed from the stock; the leading
to be loosened by the brisk friction of the wire-brush before spoken
of. This being accomplished, the brush is to be withdrawn and the
muzzle turned downwards, when the leading will run out.
Cold water is now to be poured into the barrels, and the ramrod,
with the patent wiper attached to it, is to be used briskly for a few
minutes in thoroughly rubbing the barrels.
This done to our satisfaction, rinse the barrels several times
with cold water, seeing that the nipple-holes are all clear; then
pour into them boiling hot water, being provided with a heavy
cloth of some kind to grasp the barrel with, otherwise the hands
may be blistered, as the metal soon becomes extremely hot from
the application of the water; make lively use of the rod for a few
moments, then rinse out with boiling water, wipe the barrels off as
dry as possible, and place the muzzle downwards before the fire to
dry. A little olive-oil or other fresh grease may afterwards be
used on the barrels to preserve their polish and keep from rusting.
All this may be accomplished in a very few minutes, certainly not
exceeding fifteen. If hot water be used first, in place of cold, the
powder adhering to the barrels will become soft and form itself
into a kind of cake, which will be far more difficult to remove;
therefore we particularly recommend the employment of the cold
first and the hot afterwards.
If the gun is to be put away, not to be used for some time, a
little more caution will be necessary in wiping the barrels perfectly
dry, to prevent rust as well as preserve their polish.
This will require considerable friction with a piece of flannel or
other woollen cloth. .
It is quite unnecessary to remove the breeches more than once
398 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
or twice a year for examination. The habit of taking them off
more frequently is preposterous, as it only loosens and wears the
threading of the screws without being productive of any particular
good.
We should say the same in reference to the extraction of the
nipples, if we did not know how utterly impossible it is to wipe
the chamber of a gun perfectly dry without removing them. If
any one of our readers doubts this fact, let him clean his fowling-
piece and wipe it out as thoroughly as possible with the softest rags ;
then remove the nipples, and he will find a drop of water, or at all
events some moisture, at the very bottom of the chamber. We
have tried it over and over again, and have always found such to
be the case; we, therefore, have been accustomed of late to draw
out the nipples every time we cleaned our gun.
Some of our friends are very much opposed to removing the
nipples, preferring rather to let them rust in the gun than to take
them out even occasionally, as they argue that the frequent re-
moval of them injures the threading of the screw, and makes them
liable to fly out,—an accident, by-the-by, which might be attended
with very serious consequences.
Of this, however, we have but little fear, as we are satisfied
that, with good nipples made of hard metal, such an accident
would scarcely ever happen; but at the same time we grant that
it might occur, and no doubt often does occur with nipples manu-
factured of soft metal, and of which the threading is at best very
imperfect. Such nipples will not only fly out, but the tubes will
burn out directly. Before replacing the nipples, the screw should
be oiled.
LEADING OF BARRELS.
The leading of a gun is occasioned by the melting of the shot
and the adhering of particles of the fused metal to the inside of
the barrels. Perfect or smooth barrels are far less liable to lead
than those which are rough and uneven in their surface. If a gun
leads quickly and a great deal, it is certain evidence that it is im-
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 399
perfect in its bore, and will give the sportsman much trouble in
rapid shooting, owing to the difficulty of loading his piece.
The wire brush we have before spoken of is an excellent instru-
ment with which to free the barrels of the leading, and is the only
one that will do it effectually; even washing will not relieve the
barrels when they are very rough, as common guns generally are.
TO PREVENT RUSTING.
A great many different modes have been resorted to to preserve
gun-barrels free from rust when laid aside for a season, more par-
ticularly by gunners living near the sea-shore, where the atmosphere
at all times is strongly tainted with the oxidizing components. In
our climate, under ordinary circumstances, remote from the sea-
shore, there is little danger of rust collecting on the barrels in
sufficient quantities to be of any particular injury to the metal, if
proper care be taken to clean and oil them before putting away.
The barrels should be rubbed perfectly dry inside and outside, and,
as has been recommended by Blain, a piece of iron a little smaller
in diameter than the bore of the piece may be heated to a frac-
tion short of red-heat, and by means of a string let down into
the barrels and moved up and down two or three times, so as effec-
tually to dispel every particle of moisture that may be lingering
in the interior of the gun.
This being accomplished to our satisfaction, the fowling-piece
may be oiled very slightly, inside and outside, and the muzzles
stopped up with a woollen cloth. Neatsfoot-oil is esteemed the best
kind for this purpose. There should not, of course, be a particle
of salt in the grease which is used to protect metal of any descrip-
tion from rust, for reasons before stated. The nipples should be
covered with a particle of shoemakers’ wax, or caoutchouc. This
400 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
done, the gun is now to be laid away in a dry place; otherwise all
our preventive treatment will prove abortive. It will be prudent
to examine our guns from time to time when not in constant use,
and rub them off occasionally with a linen cloth and a little oil.
If, however, the reader should reside near the sea-shore, it will
be necessary to use some further precautions to protect his fowling-
piece during the idle season; and we know of no better plan than
melting pure mutton-suet and filling the barrels with it, and also
giving the outside a coating of the same, which may be easily done
by pouring or smearing it over the gun when in a semi-liquid state;
this plan, to-be-sure, is not a very nice one, but nevertheless it is a
very effectual one.
Another plan, and perhaps a more acceptable method to many,
is to give the barrels a light coating of simple varnish, which will
protect them equally well from the action of the air.
If, however, the operation of filling the barrels with mutton-suet
be not convenient or agreeable, they may be oiled, and filled with
a rod covered over with a woollen cloth of some kind and made so
as to exactly fill the calibre of the gun and by this means exclude
every particle of air from them. ‘The breeches should be removed
for examination, and oiled before being put away.
Neatsfoot-oil is the only kind of oil admissible for these purposes.
This unguent, however, is hardly pure or thin enough to be put on
the machinery of the lock. We have been using latterly, as a gene-
ral lubricating oil, a very beautiful French preparation by Adolphe
Millochau. It is put up in small bottles of an ounce or less, and
labelled ‘‘huile pour les armuriers,”’ and can be purchased at most
of the sporting stores on Broadway for a mere trifle. Mercurial
ointment is highly recommended by Hawker for duck-guns, as also
the following compound, taken from Daniels’ Rural Sports. We
have tried both, and found them equally efficacious in preventing
rust.
RECEIPT.
Three ounces of blacklead, half a pound of hogs’ lard, one
quarter of an ounce of camphor, boiled upon a slow fire; the gun-
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 401
barrels to be rubbed with this, and, after three days, wiped off with
a linen cloth. Twice in a winter will keep off the rust, which the
salt water is otherwise sure to be continually bringing out from
the iron.
In spite, however, of all these precautions, but more frequently
owing to the negligence of the sportsman, rust will sometimes accu-
mulate on the surface as well as the interior of the barrels, which
not only renders them unsightly, but is really very detrimental to
the metal; therefore we are constrained to give in this place some
instructions for the removal of this troublesome deposit and the
restoration of the barrels to their original beauty.
We do not think that we could better accomplish this end, or do
more justice to our readers, than by transcribing the directions
given under this head by the talented Blain :—
‘Have an ashen rod turned a few inches longer than the barrel,
and so nearly of the size of the bore as to allow of the following
process :—Let one end of the rod be cut lengthwise so as to make
a slit of six inches long, into which slit enter as much fine emery-
paper as will completely fill up the bore of the barrel, taking care
in folding the paper tightly round the wood that the emery-surface
is outward. Force it into the barrel by screwing it downwards
from the top to the bottom; repeat this process until the barrel is
as clean and as polished as when it left the maker’s hands. It is
needless to remark, after the cautions we have given against using
sand or any coarse matter that can abrade the surface of the
barrel, that it 1s only the finest emery that should be used, from
which, if judiciously employed on only one or two such occasions
as these, no injurious effects can be apprehended. We need not
inform the observant reader that iron or steel well polished will
not attract rust so readily as when, being slightly abraded, it offers
small indentations, by which the minute aqueous particles are de-
tained. It may be asked, after all this, Would it not be better to
send the gun to be repolished by the gunmaker? It would save
trouble, we grant; but will he not overdo the matter, and thus
weaken the barrel ?”’
26.
402 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
THE SHAPE OF THE GUN-STOCK.
Until within a few years the gun-stock was made rather short,
with a considerable bend or curvature in it; now we have gone to
the other extreme, and every one is striving for a long and straight
stock. This general desire for long stocks is not altogether judi-
cious or reasonable, for what suits one sportsman in this respect
will not necessarily suit all; but, on the other hand, each one
should be guided by the ‘peculiar build of his own person” when
ordering a gun stocked.
To exemplify what we mean, we may here state that the gun-
smiths of England have arrived at such perfection in their pro-
fession that they actually measure their customers with as much
precision as a flash tailor does a dandy, for the purpose of ascer-
taining the style of stock best suited to their handling: the length
of the arms, neck, height, and general carriage of the body, are
all noted, and the stock is made in accordance with the measure-
ment. A clever gunsmith, who understands his business thoroughly,
will also observe his customer’s mode of raising and presenting the
gun, his manner of holding his head while taking aim, and many
other little indescribable etceteras which are always overlooked by
a common workman, but which are sources of much information to
a shrewd mechanic.
All sportsmen know the advantage of using a gun that “comes
up to the shoulder right;” they also know the inconvenience as
well as difficulty of shooting with a weapon the stock of which is
formed differently from that which they have been accustomed
to use.
It is natural to conclude that a tall, long-limbed man will
require a longer stock than a shorter person; also that a straight
stock will answer better for a short-necked, high-shouldered man
than for a long-necked, low-shouldered person.
A stock rather long is decidedly better than one too short, and
we would prefer a stock rather crooked to one too straight.
A straight stock is much more suitable than a bent one for a
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 403
short-necked, high-shouldered person, for the simple reason that, in
fast shooting, the point of sight at the end of the gun would come
up to the range of the eye before the butt could be placed full
against the shoulder, and the consequence would be that the piece,
not being held firmly against the body, would recoil unpleasantly
at every discharge.
Moreover, the gun not being held on a perfect level, but the
point of the muzzle actually higher than the stock, the consequence
will be that the load will be likely to be carried over the object.
All this can be fully ascertained by a few trials; and, moreover,
that with an over-straight stock it will be difficult to bring the
head down to its proper level, even in deliberate shooting.
The fashion of having the stocks made straight and rather short
is very much in opposition to the most determined efforts at good
shooting on the part of sportsmen generally, and we beg to warn
our friends against this error; they may rely upon our experience
in this particular, as we have given the subject much attention,
and are thoroughly convinced that reasonably high-mounted guns
are far preferable to the “‘low-mounted.”’
By the term high-mounted we mean those guns which have long
and considerably-bent stocks; by low-mounted we designate those
pieces that have short and straight stocks.
Every sportsman, before deciding definitely upon the purchase
of a gun, should, if possible, give the weapon a fair trial, which
can be done very easily by firing at a mark,—not only to ascertain
the force with which the barrels shoot, but more particularly to
satisfy himself as to the mounting, as above explained.
If, for example, the shooter looks steadily at some object placed
at a convenient distance from him, and throws the weapon up to
the proper range of his eye and fires at the very moment when he
catches the sight, he will most undoubtedly strike the target, pro-
vided the gun is mounted to suit him. If such, however, should
not be the case, the shot will be thrown most probably either adove
or below the mark. If the former should be the case, he will know
at once that the stock is too straight and too short, or, as we have
404 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
before observed, the gun is teo low-mounted for his handling. If,
on the other hand, the shot should fall below the target, the stock
may be too crooked, or, artistically speaking, the piece is too high-
mounted.
A long stock, as above remarked, is generally preferable to a
short stock in the hands of most sportsmen, for sundry reasons,
one of which we have not yet named, which is, that those having
long stocks throw their fire with more power, from the circumstance
that the butt is always pressed more closely against the shoulder of
the shooter. Moreover, there is less recoil to be apprehended from
a long stock than a short one, more particularly if the stock should
be rather crooked as well as long. Many sportsmen ignorantly
attribute their indifferent shooting to the barrels, when they should
look alone to the stocking and mounting of the piece; as we are
satisfied from long observation that ‘‘ good shooting,” in most cases,
depends far more upon these contingencies than it does upon the
shooting-properties of the barrels themselves.
The old habit of shaving off, or rather scooping out, the butt on
one side, to allow the face to come immediately behind the line of
the barrel, is perfectly unnecessary,—in fact, is opposed to good
shooting, as we cannot but think that this shaping of the stock will
cause the sportsman at times to shoot very irregular.
GUN-LOCKS.
Without a good lock, a stub-and-twist barrel of the finest work-
manship will be of little avail, and the one is quite as difficult to
be obtained as the other.
Since the introduction of detonators, however, sportsmen pay
much less attention to the workmanship of their gun-locks than they
did when flint-guns were alone in vogue; for then it was absolutely
necessary to have the finest-finished and best-tempered locks that
could be manufactured by experienced artists, to insure the ra-
pidity and certainty in shooting which is so desirable.
These two important ends could not, of course, be attained with
the old-fashioned flint or steel lock, unless the various portions of
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 405
the lock were of the most perfect construction and put together in
the most artistic manner. This, however, is not the case with the
detonator; a far inferior lock to those that were then manufactured
with so much care and skill will answer an equally good purpose.
Nevertheless, they require a considerable deal of care in their fabri-
cation to make them agreeable and serviceable to the sportsman.
Gun-locks should be manufactured from the hardest metal, and
all their parts filed and fitted in the most beautiful manner, with
springs of the best construction and suitable strength; every por-
tion of the machinery should work in perfect unison, and, when set
in motion, should glide over each other with the same smoothness
and evenness observable in the most elaborate pieces of mechanism.
Greener remarks on the subject in the following words, and we are
sure that every sportsman will heartily respond to such sentiments :—
‘7 have always felt as great pleasure in handling a gun with a
pair of good locks as some would experience in listening to the
musical productions of the great Handel. There is to me a supe-
rior music in the tick of the scear on the tumbler, and the fine
elasticity of the mainsprings, moving with a sort of fine, oily feel,
though light, as sharp as the lightning playing in the heavens.”
Good locks can only be obtained from the best artisans, and, to
insure their quality, should be made to order by those only in
whom we have the utmost confidence. There is no part of the gun
that requires so much care and skill as the manufacturing of the
lock, and consequently there is no part in which there is so much
deception practised. It is impossible to judge of the quality of a
lock by a mere examination of its structure, as the spring, swivel,
or some other portion of it, may soon grow weak, or give way
f
406 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
entirely after a few days’ shooting, if the metal used in its fabri-
cation is not of the very best kind, and put together with the
skill so well understood by an experienced and honest gunsmith.
The attachment of the swivel and arrangement of the hole for the
scear-pin are the two most important points in the construction
of a lock, as the one controls the movements of the mainspring,
while the other imparts the proper play of the scear on the tumbler,
and produces that agreeable click which every sportsman delights
to catch upon his ear when handling a good gun.
Locks can be purchased in England from a shilling to four
pounds a pair. Great numbers of inferior locks are imported by
our hardware-men.
GUNPOWDER—ORIGIN, ETC.
The discovery of this powerful compound, although generally
attributed to a German named Schwarz, a student well skilled in
alchemy, is nevertheless conceded by most inquirers into the sub-
ject to have been well known to some of the more enlightened
nations of the ancients, and more particularly, at a very early
period, to the ingenious inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, as we
have stated in another place.
Some investigators of the subject assert that it was in use by
the Chinese about or a short time after the commencement of the
Christian era; and this curious people themselves even claim its
invention and general use for ages prior to this period. Whether
this be so or not, we believe that it is granted by all hands that
Berthold Schwarz’s discovery of the compound was perfectly ori-
ginal in himself, and that therefore he should not be shorn of the
immortal celebrity that is and will ever be attached to his name.
The ingredients used in the manufacture of gunpowder are pretty
generally the same all over the world, each maker having, of
course, his own ideas regarding the proportions of the three articles
—nitre, charcoal, and sulphur—to be employed.
The best English, Scotch, or French sporting-powders are not so
strong asthe American. The average proportion of the ingredients
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.- 407
composing the English powder, put up in small tin canisters or
wrapped in cartridge-paper for the use of sportsmen, is as follows :—
nitre seventy-five parts, charcoal fifteen, sulphur ten.
Dupont’s powder is more generally used by sportsmen through-
out our country than any other; it is more powerful than the
English powder, being compounded of—nitre seventy-seven parts,
charcoal thirteen, sulphur ten.
This powder is put up in small tin canisters of a pound each,
and in this way is entirely protected from the moisture that is so
hurtful to it. Of its quality we need say nothing, as its long cele-
brity is a sufficient guarantee of its worth.
When packed as above, expressly for the use of sportsmen,
Dupont’s powder costs nearly double as much as it does when pur-
chased in small six-pound kegs; but the universal satisfaction it
affords, and the convenience and safety of carriage, give it a
decided preference in the eyes of most sportsmen, notwithstand-
ing the additional price asked for it.
VARIETIES OF GUNPOWDER.
The principal and most appreciable difference in the manufacture
of gunpowder is its division into coarse and fine-grained, glazed
and unglazed.
The first variety—the coarse-grained powder—is used princi-
pally for all species of large fire-arms, and undoubtedly is the most
powerful of the two kinds; at all events, we have arrived at this
conclusion from experiments tried while duck-shooting, and we are
supported in our observations by many respectable authorities;
that is, we wish to be understood that an ounce of coarse-grained
powder is more powerful than an ounce of fine-grained powder,
both of the same manufacture and of equal proportions. The
superior strength or projectile force of the coarse-grained has been
accounted for on principles which, to our mind, are both reason-
able and convincing, and may be explained by the perusal of the
following extract taken from Greener’s work on this suhject:—“I
have always thought and am quite convinced that powder is made
408 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
' too small in the grain. For what purpose it is made so, except to
please the gunmakers, Inever could imagine. TI have no hesitation
in asserting that, if you obtain powder of fine grain and powder
composed of the same quality of ingredients coarser grained, the
latter will be found to be stronger than the former. This I have
tried in various ways, both by the rifle and the musket, and the
same quantity of the coarser invariably gives the longer range. It
is Owing, In my opinion, to each grain containing within itself
greater force. When one is ignited, its effect is greater than that
of several small ones. Four times the quantity of small-grained
has to be ignited to generate the same force as is required of the
larger-grained. Again, the small grain is generally coated with a
sort of varnish, which must be injurious to its quickness. Another
advantage the larger grain possesses is, that from its size it is less
liable to be completely compressed into a solid state, and from the
largeness of the interstices around them more atmospheric air is
contained in a body, which must greatly benefit it in igniting; as
without question (though it is possible to fire powder in vacuo) it
- will burn better with the assistance of atmospheric air.”
The duck-shooters of our country, without exception, use the
coarse-grained powder, not only because they know it to be stronger,
but because it attracts, or rather absorbs, a much less quantity of
atmospheric moisture than the fine. We recollect on one occasion,
when shooting canvas-backs from one of the points at the Spesutia
Narrows, by some unfortunate mishap both barrels of our gun
became suddenly disabled, one from the flying off of the pivot,
and the other from some trifling derangement in the machinery of
the lock. The morning was a very fine one for the flight of ducks,
and they were passing over our heads ever and anon, in countless
numbers and at a fair shooting-distance. Unhappily for us, how-
ever, we were forced, nolens volens, to be a silent spectator, and
not, aS was our wont, an active participator in the scenes around
us. One of our sporting companions, a thorough blood in this
line, and we might term him a ‘“‘duck-shooter by profession”’ as
well as a ‘‘duck-shooter by education,” as he had done little else
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 409
but destroy ducks ever since he was big enough to shoulder his
father’s old musket and take sight over a “‘blind,”—having pain-
fully injured the thumb of his right hand, we, having nothing better
to do, volunteered to load his gun for him, on condition of a fair
proportion of the spoils. Having our patent powder-flask with us,
and being accustomed to its use as well as satisfied with its safety,
we very naturally commenced loading from its contents, and con-
tinued so to do for a considerable time, while our friend was
banging away at every moment, but, strange to say, bringing down
scarcely a single victim, although those around us were heaping up
piles about them; and so did our partner till we commenced load-
ing for him. The old veteran could not account for his bad shooting,
and attributed every miss to some new cause, first one thing and
then another, cursed the gun, damned the ducks, and finally gave
up in despair. We of course were equally as much surprised at
his want of success, and even took the gun from his hands and
essayed a few shots, but without much effect. The morning had
now fully broken, and, upon closer inquiry into the cause of this
bad shooting, our partner ascertained, to his no small horror, that
we had been loading all the time with fine-grained canister-powder,
instead of the coarse-grained article which all duckers prefer; in |
fact, they object to using any other kind.
The indignation of our friend was great when he made this
discovery; and his vanity of shooting well, which had been on
the wane for the previous half-hour, was now fully appeased,
as he declared that “such stuff,’ meaning the fine powder, was
not fit to make a squib of, let alone bring down a savory canvas-
back. .
This powder, however, we had been using the day before on
partridges, and had succeeded in killing five brace with it without
much difficulty. This anecdote certainly goes to demonstrate how
strong the prejudice is among duck-shooters in favor of the coarse
powder, and at the same time proves conclusively that, though it
would kill partridges at a reasonable distance, it had not force
enough to carry heavy shot as strongly as the common coarse-
410 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
grained powder, such as is sold in the small country shops, from
which source our friend always procured his supply; for as soon
as he loaded with it the ducks came tumbling down right and
left.
GLAZED POWDER.
Some powder is glazed and some not. The comparative strength
of the two kinds is not much, if at all, affected by the process
which it undergoes in glazing, as the grains are merely triturated
with blacklead, to give them the glossy appearance which they
present.
It is deemed absolutely indispensable that all military powder
should be glazed, to prevent the formation of too much dust by af-
friction in its transport from place to,place; as it is a well-esta-
blished fact that a charge of powder compressed into a solid, dense
mass, as it necessarily would be if its whole granular as well as
angular construction was destroyed by pulverization, must lose
some of its propulsion by the slowness of combustion.
As has been remarked by Greener, ‘‘though it is possible to fire
powder in vacuo,” still, the presence of a certain amount of air
in the interstices of any combustible mass will greatly facilitate
the rapid penetration of the flame through it, and consequently
increase the projectile power dependent upon its instantaneous
combustion. Commenting on Dupont’s sporting-powder, Captain
Mordecai, of the Ordnance Department, remarks as follows :—
“‘Dupont’s very fine-grained sporting-powder, being thoroughly in-
corporated, free from dust, and composed of angular grains, although
highly glazed, far surpasses all the other kinds in quickness.”
Further on, he again observes :—“ The great and uniform superiority
of Dupont’s fine sporting-powder, even in large charges in the
cannon, evinces the combined effect of the most careful preparation
of the materials, their thorough incorporation, perfect drying, and
high glazing, all of which are favorable not only to the production
of the greatest herent force of the composition, but to the quick
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 411
combustion of the grains and to the rapid transmission of the
flame through the whole mass of the powder.’’*
- TESTS FOR POWDER.
English sporting-powder, when good, is found to impart scarcely
any color to the hand when crushed in the palm with the thumb.
American powder, to be perfect, should be equally free from all
charcoal appearances. There is a simple method of ascertaining
the quality of powder, which in some measure may be relied on.
If a small quantity be placed upon a sheet of white paper and
exploded, it should burn with a sudden white smoke, accompanied
with a peculiar sharp report, or rather phzz, that the ear soon be-
comes familiar with and easily detects. There should be nothing
left on the paper after the explosion if the powder be superior ; if,
however, the residuum be blackish matter, the probability is that
there is too much carbon in the powder; if the paper should
exhibit a dotted appearance, with little black splotches over it, we
would be led to suppose that the sulphur or nitre was inferior in
quality and badly incorporated.
Se
THE EPREUVETTE, OR POWDER-PROVER.
It is not an easy matter to ascertain the real pulsion of powder,
even by subjecting it to the test of the epreuvette,—an instrument
* See report of experiments on gunpowder, made at Washington Arsenal by Cap-
tain Mordecai.
412 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in common use in England, but scarcely known in this country,
and on this account deserving of notice in this place.
The epreuvette, though the most perfect of all small instruments
yet invented for the purpose of testing the strength of gunpowder,
if not used properly will often give very unsatisfactory results.
The construction of the epreuvette should be perfect in all its
parts, more particularly in the spring which controls the move-
ments of the wheel on which the graduations are marked. The
mouth-piece, or rather the piece which closes the muzzle of the
epreuvette and is attached to the grading-wheel, should fit closely
in its place, so as not to allow any space to be seen between the
two surfaces when held up to the light.
One trial is not sufficient to test the momentum of the powder;
it will be better to make several, and then take the average of the
whole. The chamber should be nicely cleaned after each fire,
provided we wish to obtain a close analysis.
POWDER PRESERVED FROM MOISTURE.
Powder should be kept dry and never exposed to a humid atmo-
sphere, as it has a great tendency to imbibe moisture and will soon
become unfit for service. If by any mishap it should become damp,
it can be dried before the fire, or in the sun, on a metal dish; a coal
fire is the proper kind of fire before which to dry it,—a wood-fire
being rather dangerous, owing to the chance of sparks flying out, as
they frequently do, more particularly if the wood be wet or green.
We have dried our powder more than once by putting the dish
which contained it on top of a brick placed on a stove.
The fact of the tendency of powder to absorb moisture may be
very fairly and satisfactorily demonstrated by accurately weighing
a certain proportion of the article, and placing it in a humid situa-
tion for a few hours, when it will be found that it has increased
very perceptibly in weight, owing to the imbibition of the aqueous
particles of the moist air. All circumstances being equal, small-
grained powder will necessarily absorb moisture more rapidly than
large-grained, for the simple reason that, in a given weight of
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 4138
either, the smaller the grain the larger the surface exposed to the
effects of the atmosphere. The projectile force of powder is con-
siderably diminished by dampness, because, its combustion being
much slower, a large proportion must necessarily be driven out of
the gun before the whole mass is entirely consumed, and the
explosion consequently must be weakened, as the phenomena at-
tending the burning of gunpowder are accounted for by the sudden
and rapid generation of an elastic fluid, which of course will not
be properly created by the slow and unequal combustion of a damp
compound.
If the nitre used in the manufacture of powder is not perfectly
pure and thoroughly embodied with the other ingredients, it will
not burn with the rapidity necessary for the generation of the
projectile force inherent in this compound when all its constitu-
ents are properly incorporated.
The mere circumstance of powder absorbing moisture when ex-
posed to its effects, with more than ordinary rapidity, is a positive
proof of its inferiority, and is a sure evidence that the nitre is not
pure, and that it contains some portion of muriate of soda, which
substance is generally found in combination with it in its natural
state, and which every one of the least observation is perfectly
aware attracts humidity with singular facility.* If the powder is
moist, besides losing a considerable portion of its strength, it soon
fouls the gun, the grains become caked together, and will not enter
the nipple-hole, &c. For these reasons, the sportsman will be
convinced that he cannot be too careful of his powder, and will
take every necessary precaution to prevent the subtle compound
from imbibing the particles of moisture with which the air is loaded
during muggy weather, more particularly on the bay-shore, when
* Captain Mordecai, referring to experiments made with some powders manufac-
tured at the Eastward, remarks :—‘‘ In consequence of the impurity of the saltpetre
in these powders, a great quantity of moisture is rapidly absorbed by them; the
deliquescent salts in the nitre are dissolved, the grains become so moist as to hold
in solution the nitre, which becomes separated from the other components, and the
powder is soon rendered completely unserviceable.”
414 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in quest of water-fowl. It should always be kept in tin canisters,
and never be trusted to paper, which of itself has a tendency to
absorb dampness, to say nothing of the danger of having packages
of powder carelessly wrapped in old newspaper and lying about.
A package of this kind, containing nearly half a pound of powder,
we know of having been thrown into the fire by a thrifty house-
wife, who mistook it for a bundle of rubbish that she had collected
up in a similar paper a few moments before, for the purpose of
consigning it to the flames. The consequences of this unpar-
donable carelessness on the part of the sportsman might have
proved very serious to us all, had not the accident been observed
by a brother chum sitting close by, who, with admirable courage
and presence of mind, seized the burning package with the tongs,
and, rushing with it to the window, which had been opened a few
moments before for the purpose of taking an observation of the
weather, threw it out, where in a moment or two it exploded with
a tremendous noise, but fortunately did no mischief.
It is almost useless for us to warn the sportsman to be careful,
when drying powder, to expose as little as possible at a time to
the fire, or he may blow the roof off the house, and perhaps blow
himself out of the window. With proper caution, there is no
more danger in drying powder than there would be in heating so
much sand; but in the hands of a careless or reckless person the
process would be rather hazardous.
PROPERLY LOADING THE GUN.
The art of rightly proportioning the charge for our piece is not
So easy a matter as many suppose; but, on the contrary, it requires
considerable judgment and experience to ascertain the exact
quantity of powder and shot that a piece will best carry. If we
wish to ascertain this fact conclusively, a series of experiments
should be instituted immediately after the purchase of our gun;
in truth, every sportsman should settle this important fact to his
entire satisfaction at once, as we can assure him that much of his
success in shooting depends upon the proper loading of his piece.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 415
If the gun be overcharged, as is much too often the case both
with powder and shot, the whole load will be carried out of the
barrel with an unequal, unsteady, and wild impetuosity, very dif-
ferent from the regular, easy, and determined motion imparted to it
by a proper proportion of each. The gun, no matter how tightly
grasped, if overloaded, will spring from the hand, and a recoil
more or less severe will be felt at the shoulder. This should never
occur in small fire-arms. In large duck-guns a slight recoil is
excusable; but even in these pieces proper loading will almost
invariably remedy the evil if the gun is skilfully constructed;
and if after judicious management it still proves incorrigible, the
weapon had better be sold for want of use, or placed in the hands
of some one who cares but little for a bruised arm and a sore
shoulder.
As before said, a series of experiments should be instituted to
find the exact charge that suits your gun best; that is, what
proportion of powder and what proportion of shot will kill the
farthest with the greatest certainty. This can be accomplished
by firing at sheets of paper at a distance of forty yards with
different-sized loads, and marking down the result of each
discharge.
To make this chapter more complete, we cannot do better than
introduce a few paragraphs from Greener on this subject, and at
the same time remark that every sportsman will derive abundance
of information appertaining to the gun by the perusal of that
writer's highly instructive work :—
““T have repeatedly stated that all guns will burn a certain
quantity of powder; you must, therefore, ascertain what that
quantity is, which can only be done by practice. Suppose you
begin with two drachms, and vary the charge one-eighth of a
drachm each shot up to three drachms and a half, or as may be
required, according to the length and bore of the gun, and, for
precision, taking three shots with each charge at a sufficient num-
ber of sheets of paper; whichever you find strongest with the
least quantity of powder, that is the best charge, as very likely
416 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the two next additions of powder will shoot equally strong, and
yet not stronger, because more of it remains unburnt. Therefore,
the least quantity which shoots equally strong is the proper charge,
which having once ascertained, never change for any person’s
plan.
“Next as to the charge of shot. All guns, according to their
bore and length, will shoot a certain weight and a certain size of
shot best. A great deal of shot in a small bore lies too far up the
barrel, and creates an unnecessary friction; and the shot, by the
compression at the moment of explosion, becomes all shapes,—a
circumstance which materially affects its flight. If of too great a
weight, the powder has not power to drive it with that speed and
force required to be efficacious, because the weight is too great in
proportion. Those who reason with mathematical calculation will
object to this doctrine. Say they, The greater the weight the
greater the effect. No doubt it is so, if thrown with a propor-
tionate force; but that cannot be obtained with a small gun. We
must adapt the weight of projectile force to the power we are in
possession of; and, from many experiments, I am inclined to think
that a fourteen-gauge two-feet-eight barrel should never be loaded
with above an ounce and a half of shot, (No. 6 will suit her best,)
and the utmost powder she will burn. A fifteen-gauge will not
require more than one ounce and one-fourth; and no doubt No. 7
would be thrown by her quite as strong as No. 6 by the fourteen-
gauge gun, and do as much execution at forty yards with less
recoil; and, setting aside all other reasons, I should, on this ac-
count, prefer the fifteen-gauge gun, if both be of a length, finding
I can do as much execution at the same distance with the one as
with the other. To render a fourteen-gauge barrel superior, I
think Colonel Hawker is right in stating that it should never be
under thirty-four inches, which description of barrel I very much
approve.”
A drachm of Dupont’s sporting canister-powder will be a suffi-
cient charge with which to commence these experiments.
The sheets of paper for our target should not be less than a
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 417
dozen in number; and the charge that fires the strongest and keeps
the shot in the most compact round form is the one best adapted
for the gun. A most erroneous idea exists among young sports-
men as regards loading: many suppose that by increasing the
quantity of shot they also increase the chances of killing, because,
as they say, there is a much greater number of pellets to be driven
against the object fired at. This, however, is not the case, as the
shot, in the first place, being too heavy for the charge of powder,
does not receive the same degree of projectile force from its
explosion that it would if both were properly proportioned;
and, moreover, the quantity of shot being too great, the pellets
strike against each other in their course and become disarranged ;
the recoil is also considerably increased, and the gun may be
bursted. ‘
If, on the other hand, too much powder is used, it flies wildly
out of the barrel unconsumed, as may be seen by firing at a sheet
of paper at a distance of fifteen yards or so, when the grains of
powder will be found forced into the paper instead of being con-
sumed by the explosion.
In fact, the whole theory of loading and overloading guns may
be summed up in a few words. Every gun should be loaded in
accordance with its bore and weight, and the greater nicety that
the sportsman displays in arriving at these proportions, the more
beautiful will be his shooting; for it is well ascertained by the
numerous experiments of those well versed in the subject, and
may be laid down as an hypothesis, or rather axiom, that if the
quantity of shot be too great the elastic force of the discharge is
diminished and the recoil considerably increased; and, if the charge
of powder be also increased in the same ratio with the shot, the
recoil will be doubly increased, perhaps to the bursting of the
barrels, and the pellets of shot will be expelled from the piece
helter-skelter, in any direction but a direct course.
The larger the charge of powder, the more will the shot be
scattered, and we have but one alternative in making long shots,
and that is, to load with the usual quantity of powder, but make
27
-
418 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
use of larger-sized shot, as no advantage whatever is gained by
increasing the charge of powder beyond the proper measure.
BURSTING OF GUNS. COMMODORE STOCKTON’S EXPERIMENTS.
RECOIL, ETC.
There are innumerable causes which tend to the bursting of gun-
barrels, even those of the most approved workmanship; it is not
astonishing, therefore, that those manufactured of inferior metal
and put together by second-rate artists should frequently be torn
to pieces while under the management of reckless and ignorant
shooters. Although there are immense numbers of guns imported
into this country, both from England and Germany, that could not
stand the test of the proof-house, still, they are made of sufficiently
good metal to bear the explosion of powder to a certain extent,
and, if handled with caution, might perform many years of good
service without endangering the lives of their owners. We do not,
however, wish our readers to construe this concession of ours in
reference to these trashy guns into a favorable notice of them, as
we consider the use of weapons of a doubtful character, such as
these are, as rather too hazardous an experiment for any one of
our sporting friends to venture upon.
We will now endeavor to point out some of the causes that are
calculated to produce bursting not only in barrels manufactured
of inferior metal, but even in those forged out of the most superior
iron and wrought with the greatest care.
‘The first grand cause of bursting springs from the forge, as
before stated; and every one knows full well that many manu-
facturers of guns use metal of very inferior description; and when
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 419
the bars are being welded into barrels, the artificers themselves are
guilty of most culpable negligence and recklessness, little heeding
the limbs lost and lives sacrificed by their bad workmanship.
If a barrel be either welded, bored, or filed badly, even if it be
made of good metal, it may nevertheless burst under the manage-
ment of the most careful sportsman. If the thickness of the bar-
rel is not uniform throughout its entire length, but weaker at one
point than at another, owing to a flaw in the metal, overfiling, or
rude boring, it will most probably burst, if overcharged, as the
expansive force of the powder acts with increased vigor upon these
weak points, owing to the resistance it meets with from the stronger
portions of the tube.
If the subtle fluid generated by the inflammation of gunpowder
be suddenly compressed or checked by a contraction in the calibre
of the barrel, an undue proportion of the expansive force is exerted
upon this point, and the result may be the bursting of the imstru-
ment. This fact will of itself show the folly of attempting to increase
the shooting-powers of the gun by wnequal boring of the barrel, or
rather the contracting of the diameter of the calibre at some given
point in its length, as has been practised by some ignorant gun-
smiths. We cannot imagine any cause better calculated to burst
a fowling-piece than the contraction of its regular calibre from
this erroneous method of boring, and would rather trust ourselves
with a straight-bored barrel made of far inferior metal, than with
one of these ill-shapen instruments forged of the very best stub-
and-twist. If the muzzle of the gun becomes stopped up with dirt
or snow while in the act of springing over a ditch, or from a fall,
and the extraneous matter should be of a consistency sufficiently
hard to offer any considerable degree of resistance to the expulsive
force of the powder, the barrel will be bursted without fail near its
mouth; and the same accident will more readily occur if the mouth
of the piece be sunk a few inches below the surface of the water, as
the resistance offered by this fluid to the passage of the load under
such circumstances is far more powerful than that presented by the
thin sides of the barrel, and the weaker antagonism must necessarily
420 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
give way to the stronger. That a gun will burst very readily if the
muzzle be sunk a few inches under the water, we have not the least
doubt; and an accident which happened to an acquaintance of ours,
some years since, confirms us in the opinion.
A fowling-piece may also burst from bad loading; we do not
mean entirely from overcharging, but sometimes from the want of
proper precaution in ramming down the shot on the powder, or the
moving of the wad of one barrel by the jar communicated to it by
the explosion of the other. Bursting from this latter cause is
occasioned by the sudden accumulation and increased expansion
of the elastic fluid behind the object offering the resistance, or rather
is the consequence of the sudden check given to its steady exit
from the barrel.
A ball thus impacted in the barrel of a small gun, musket, or
rifle, will be most likely to burst the piece, if fired; such, at least,
is the generally-received opinion.
This belief, however, like many other vulgar errors that have
descended by repetition from one to another without any detail of
experiments entered into necessary to establish the facts upon a
certain and indisputable basis, may not be altogether correct.
Commodore Stockton, in his paper containing experiments on
ordnance instituted by permission of the Navy Department, and
lately read before the American Philosophical Society, opposes
this long-received doctrine of explosion, and proves very conclu-
sively, 7 some description of large guns at least, that they in-
variably burst with a smaller charge when the ball was nearer the
powder than when it was at a distance; and, also, that the burst-
ing took place with the shot at the shortest distance from the
powder, after sustaining the same charges at a longer distance.
These experiments and their results certainly go to prove that
such is the fact in large guns of equal calibre and size throughout
their whole extent ; but they prove nothing, in our judgment, in
the case of small fire-arms of unequal strength and weight of
metal.
Commodore Stockton also shows most conclusively that the
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 421
greatest internal pressure at the moment of the discharge is at
that part of the gun occupied by the powder.
Although the facts elicited from these interesting and highly
instructive experiments are very conclusive, so far as they have
a bearing on large guns of one hundred pounds’ weight or more
and of like dimensions throughout their entire length, they do not
certainly establish any thing, as before remarked, either pro or con.,
as to the old theory respecting small fire-arms; we are conse-
quently forced to adhere to the ancient doctrine of explosion, and
still believe that a fowling-piece is more apt to burst with a wad or
a ball far up the barrel than if pushed home upon the shot or pow-
der. This phenomenon we can account for in a way quite satis-
factory, at least to our mind, by supposing that when the powder
is ¢gnited, and the expansive fluid generated by this inflammation
is set in motion, and, striving to overcome the resistance offered by
the sides of the barrel which enclose it, rushes forward up the bar-
rel with that certain degree of propulsive force inherent within it-
self, and without having any positive obstruction in its way to arrest
its onward course till it meets with the barrier opposed to its exit,
in the shape of a wad, ball, mud, snow, or some other article which
might be lodged in the barrel either by design or accident, this
sudden check to its wild career creates a momentary yet a partial
pause in its course, and consequently gives rise to an increased
lateral pressure at this point in the barrels, which are proportionally
thin as they approach the muzzle, and consequently, unlike the
heavy breech, are unable to withstand this unequal and sudden
shock, and therefore must give way. And thus we may say that
bursting under these circumstances arises from the sudden accu-
mulation and increased expansion of the elastic fluid behind the
object offering the resistance and thereby preventing the free exit
of the charge from the gun. .
Why the same result was not obtained in the case of larger fire-
arms, and why the experiments of Commodore Stockton should be
diametrically opposed to this theory, we cannot, perhaps, satis-
factorily explain, as we have no opportunities of making any prac-
422 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
tical observations upon the subject; we therefore leave it for the
investigation of others, venturing, however, the following re-
marks :—
If, for experiment, the dimensions of the guns (as Commodore
Stockton’s all were) be of the same size throughout, and of a calibre
sufficiently strong to withstand the shock of the powder used in
the experiment, except at the very spot where the internal pressure
is greatest,—that is, at the breech end,—and the metal be no
stronger there than at any other point along the barrel, it is evi-
dent to every one of the least thought that a certain charge of
powder would have a very different effect wpon a gun of this kind
than it would on one constructed upon the principle of an ordinary
fowling-piece, which has the weight of metal in the breech nicely
harmonizing with the length and calibre of the weapon.
The experiments therefore cannot hold good in the one ease as
in the other; because, when the powder is exploded in the large
gun, (such as used by Commodore Stockton,) the greatest pressure,
as before stated, in this as well as in all other fire-arms, is at
the point of ignition,—the breeches. Now, the breeches, or that
portion of the barrel surrounding the chambers in the experimental
guns, were exactly of the same size as the other parts of the
barrel; and consequently, if the gun contained at any time suf-
ficient powder to burst it, it would necessarily be burst at the point
where the greatest pressure was exerted, and that of course would
be at the breech, as already admitted. Again, when the ball is
rammed home and the powder exploded, the force of the shock
would of course be more confined to the breech than if the ball
was far up the barrel. Moreover, the force expended on the breech
at the instant of explosion under these circumstances—that is, with
a regular home-charge—vwould be necessarily greater than that
generated at the same point if the ball was not directly on the
powder, for the ample reason that in the latter case there would be
less positive resistance for the powder to overcome at the moment
of ignition, owing to the absence of the ball from its ordinary
position. The shock of the explosion would also be somewhat
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 493
modified, in consequence of its first and most powerful effects
having been exerted at the moment of combustion at the breech,
and subsequently to a certain extent expended during the passage
along the space intervening between the chamber of the gun and
the poimt where the ball was impacted in the barrel. At this
point the propelling fluid, we grant, would necessarily meet with a
sudden check to its farther progress towards the muzzle, in conse-
quence of the mechanical obstruction presented by the wedged
ball. This check, however, would not produce, posszbly, a shock
equal to that generated at the first impulse of the burning powder,
and therefore could not burst the barrel at this point, if it did
not do it at the point of ignition, where the metal in the ex-
perimental guns was no stronger, and the force applied we assume
to be much greater.
This position being correct, the gun would not be so readily burst
from an explosion, under these circumstances, as it would if the
whole force was exerted upon the one point, as is the case when
the ball is rammed home upon the charge; and consequently it
would require a larger proportion of powder to develope the same
degree of force, without the immediate pressure of the ball, as
would be generated if the ball were rammed tight upon the
charge.
This, however, would not be the case with a fowling-piece, for
the reason that the barrel being of unequal thickness, and the
breech four or five times as heavy as the muzzle and in a propor-
tionate degree heavier than all other parts of the barrel as you
advance towards the mouth, if a ball therefore become impacted
in it, and offer considerable resistance to the escape of the powder,
the lateral pressure created by this shock might be more than
sufficient to rend the gun in pieces at this point, when three times
the same force would have no effect upon the breech end.
From the foregoing remarks, therefore, it appears evident to us
that it would require far more powder to burst a small gun with a
regular home-charge than it would to burst it, if, when set in
motion, it should meet with a sudden and powerful resistance any
44 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
distance up the barrel, either in the shape of a wad, ball, or any
other accidental obstruction such as before mentioned.
Although the internal pressure first produced at the moment of
ignition be not sufficient to burst the barrel asunder at the breech,
the sudden shock occasioned by the resistance of the obstruction,
though not equal to the first force generated at the breech end,
might be, however, quite sufficient to tear the barrel to pieces at
the point of contact.
RECOIL.
The recoil—or, as it is vulgarly called, “the kick—of a gun”
may be produced by several causes, all of which, however, have
their primary origin in the projectile force of the powder, or rather
in the resistance offered to the expansive fluid generated by the
ignition or explosion of a mass of powder. In all fire-arms of
perfect construction the recoil is in proportion to the friction or
resistance offered during the exit of the shot from the barrels;
and it is only when this resistance, or rather the consequence of
this resistance,—the recoil,—becomes disagreeable to the shooter,
that we look for the cause and the remedy, as there must, of course,
under every circumstance, be some recoil in fire-arms, no matter
how perfect the barrels may be in their construction.
Imperfections in the manufacture of the barrels are fruitful
sources of reaction in shot-guns; and, if they are not perfectly
symmetrical in their bore and smooth throughout their entire sur-
face, the piece will rebound more or less severely at every dis-
charge, no matter how small a quantity of powder may be used.
If the barrel be wider at one point than at another, although this
difference may not be perceptible to the eye, the repercussion will
be greatly increased; as, the shot being somewhat arrested in its
progress through the barrel, the impelling force of the powder
exerts itself so much the more to overcome the barrier, and thus
creates a back-action, which spends itself upon the breech. A
recoil produced from such a cause is of a most dangerous character,
and will eventually burst the weapon, as it is impossible for barrels
3 MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 425
of any ordinary thickness to withstand the oft-repeated and violent
efforts of the powder to force its way through the contracted point.
For the same reason, a leaded or foul gun, by offering a certain
degree of resistance to the exit of the charge, will produce a recoil
in proportion to the increased friction, which, even in the best-
constructed fowling-pieces, will often be very severe from such a
cause. If the shot be too tightly rammed, or an over-quantity be
used, the recoil, of course, will be increased in proportion to the
resistance offered. A straight stock will feel the effects of this
retro-action, or rather transmit those effects to the person of the
shooter, much more severely than a crooked stock, as the latter,
by receiving the force of the concussion in an oblique direction,
breaks the shock before it reaches the extremity. Bad powder,
particularly damp powder, adds greatly to the recoil; and no doubt
some of our readers have remarked that there is always more
recalcitration on a wet day than on a clear one; this is owing,
to-be-sure, in part, to the barrels getting dirty much sooner, but
principally to the dampness of the powder, which impedes the im-
mediate ignition of the whole mass, and consequently retards the
exit of the shot, which moves before the propelling force with a
kind of jerking motion.
It has been asserted by some writers that the position of the
touch-hole regulates in a great measure the power of the recoil.
Suppose, for example, that the touch-hole communicates with the
centre of the mass of powder: it is contended that at the moment
of ignition the expansive force of the generated fluid is exerted as
strongly backwards upon the breech as it is forwards or upon the
sides of the barrel; but, on the other hand, if the powder is
ignited from the base of the mass, the whole expulsive force will
be directed forwards upon the shot, and the recoil consequently
be much lighter. The less a gun reacts, the more certain and
effective will be the delivery of its shot; as it is well ascertained
that a piece made perfectly stationary in its bed will throw a ball
much farther, and consequently with much more force, than one
that is allowed to rebound at every discharge. A kicking gun,
496 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
when grasped tightly and held firmly to the shoulder, will spring
back far less than if lightly placed against it; it will also throw
the shot much farther and with greater certainty. This fact may
be very easily ascertained by a simple experiment.
Suspend, for example, a fowling-piece by two cords from a
suitable frame, or from the limb of a tree, in such a manner as to
permit an unrestrained recoil, having first charged it with the
ordinary load of powder and shot; now fire the gun at a target
properly arranged, and take especial note of the result; then load
the piece as before, and secure it tightly, so that no rebound can
take place; move the target some distance farther off, and note the
result of this discharge. It will be observed that the last fire will
be far more effective than the first, both as regards the strength
and range, although the distance of the target has been con-
siderably increased.
In support of the time-honored hypothesis relating to the effects
to be apprehended from the presence of certain obstructions, in-
tentionally or accidentally placed up the barreis of small fire-arms,
we hardly know what to advance. Although we have not made
any experiments to establish the position, still we feel quite sure in
asserting that the old-received opinion is perfectly correct; that
is, that there will be a greater recoil with the same amount of pow-
der of there be some obstruction up the barrel, than there would be
of the charge was properly rammed home.
This opinion, however, is quite contrary to the results obtained
by Commodore Stockton; for he asserts that the recozl, as indicated
by the motion of the timber to which the guns were fastened, was
less when the ball was at a distance from the powder than when wt
was rammed home. This, certainly, is very much at variance with
the popular belief.
If a gun be fired with an ordinary charge of powder, and be
perfect in its construction, there will not be any retrograde motion
of the piece, or in other words recozl, felt at the shoulder; or, if
there be any, it will be of such a trifling nature that it is not worth
noticing.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 497
There is, however, a recod; and this recoil, as before observed,
is deadened in proportion to the weight of metal in the breech,
the shape and build of the stock, as well as in some measure by
the mode of holding the weapon.
If, however, the charge in its exit from the gun should meet
with any obstruction far up the barrel, where the metal is thin and
the gun only lightly balanced in the hand by a grasp of the stock
near the guard, the sudden shock given to it by the resistance of
the obstacle encountered will communicate a jar or quick jerk to
the weapon, which will be felt at the shoulder, and not expended,
as in the other case, upon the breech or stock.
The reason of this, we presume, is that the retro-action imparted
to a fowling-piece by a regular charge of powder and shot is not a
jumping, jerking rebound, but a regular and steady recoil, as it
were confined to the thick chambers of the gun, and lost upon the
stock before it reaches the shoulder of the shooter; but, in the
other case, the motion imparted to the gun is a jumping or jerking
recoil, which has not the heavy breech to break its immediate
effects upon, and is consequently transmitted without interruption
along the outside of the barrel directly to the person of the
sportsman.
This action will be quite different in the case of the experi-
mental ordnance-pieces, as has been already demonstrated; for
there was neither a heavy breech nor long stock to ward off or
receive the repercussion in those guns, and the whole force of the
explosion consequently was transmitted immedia.cly to the timber
to which they were all attached, and necessarily occasioned the
conclusion arrived at by Commodore Stockton.
Commodore Stockton’s little pamphlet, the result of much care
and ingenuity on his part in the prosecution of these highly in-
teresting experiments, requires no notice from us; it speaks for
itself. But we may be permitted to state that we were led to this
partial review of some of its points from the interest we felt in the
subject, and from the circumstance of a copy having been sent to
428 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
us by a sporting friend, who requested our views on the novel as
well as rather startling results.
In conclusion, we beg to remind our readers that we have not
denied, nor have we attempted to disprove, any of the conclusions
arrived at by the commodore; we have only endeavored to explain
some of these results, and to show that they do not, in our judg-
ment, affect the operations of sporting-guns, nor are they sufii-
ciently conclusive to change our old-fashioned views on this sub-
ject. As far as the experiments go, they are ‘quite satisfactory ;
and they certainly have developed some rather strange phenomena,
—at all events have given rise to some very new ideas in reference
to the matter, which we doubt not will prove hereafter of much
practical utility in “ gunnery.”
OF, |
pare CHAPTER XXVIII.
DISCOVERY AND INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER.
OME writers assert that the use of gun-
powder, as well as ordnance, was well
known to certain of the ancients as far
back as the year of our Lord eighty-
five; and in support of this hypothesis
the following remarks of Uffano, on the
authority of Robert Norton, the author
of a work entitled The Gunner, printed
in London in 1664, are often quoted, viz.:—‘‘ That the invention
and use, as well of ordnance as of gunpowder, was in the eighty-
fifth yeare of our Lord made known and practised in the great and
ingenious kingdom of China; and that in the maretyme provinces
thereof there yet remain certaine pieces of ordnance, both of iron
and brasse, with the memory of their yeares of founding engraved
429
430 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
upon them, and the armes of King Vitney, who, he saith, was the
inventor.”
Another passage from Philostratus, the historian of Apollonius
Tyanzeus, about the commencement of the third century, has
also been referred to by writers in favor of the antiquity of this
invention. In speaking of a people of India called Oxydrace,
this ancient authority remarks:—‘‘These truly wise men dwelt
between the rivers Hyphasis and Ganges. Their country Alexander
the Great never entered, deterred, not by fear of the inhabitants,
but, as I suppose, by religious considerations; for, had he passed
the Hyphasis, he might doubtless have made himself master of the
country all around them; but their cities he never could have
taken, though he had led a thousand as brave as Achilles or three
thousand such as Ajax to the assault, for they come not out into
the field to fight those who attack thein, but these holy men, be-
loved by the gods, overthrow their enemies by tempests and thun-
derbolts shot from the walls. It is said that the Egyptian Her-
cules and Bacchus, when they overran India, avoided this people also,
and, having prepared warlike engines, attempted to conquer them.
They made no show of resistance; but upon the enemy’s near ap-
proach to their cities they were repulsed with storms of lightning
and thunderbolts hurled upon them from above.”
In the Opus Magus of Friar Bacon, who died about 1294, may
be found a particular description of the effects of a certain com-
pound of saltpetre and other ingredients, which, when ignited, gave
results analogous to those of thunder and lightning; and, further-
more, it is stated when these elements are rightly amalgamated
and properly applied, the force of the explosion would be suffi-
ciently powerful to destroy not only an army, but even to overturn
an entire city.
These remarks, together with some others even still more per-
spicuous on this head, have led most inquirers to conclude that the
learned friar was at least well acquainted with the components and
effects, if not well versed in the precise composition and applica-
tion, of gunpowder.
DISCOVERY AND INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER. 431
This information, it may very justly be presumed, was not ori-
ginal with himself, but rather obtained from the others of his
brotherhood, the monks, who had learned of its existence among
the Chinese, as well as seen its operations during their missions in
those far-distant regions, from whence they had then lately re-
turned.
Some writers go so far as to suppose that the pious but wily
monk was well acquainted with the composition of gunpowder,
as well as its terrible effects, but at the same time assert that he
was fearful of betraying the wonderful secret, knowing full well
that its introduction into the world would be attended with the
most calamitous consequences; and, for humanity’s sake alone, if
not from other ulterior motives, he determined to keep the secret
as long from the knowledge of man as possible.
Be all this as it may, there is no doubt that Berthold
Schwarz, a German monk of the Order of St. Francis, was the
first person who made the composition of this wondrous sub-
stance generally known to the world, and that the discovery,
though ancient rt might be, was nevertheless altogether original
with himself.
The circumstances of the discovery are these :—Berthold Schwarz,
a native of Freiburg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, during his
relaxation from monastic duties, occupied much of his time in the
fascinating and absorbing pursuit of chemistry. During some of
his manipulations, having pounded in a mortar an accidental mix-
ture of charcoal, sulphur, and nitre, he was amazed and wildly
astounded by its sudden and fearful explosion on the hap-hazard
application of a spark of fire.
This terrible but at the same time novel exhibition of power in a
simple compound like this very naturally aroused in the mind of
the zealous student a spirit of investigation; and the result of
further experiment was the discovery of that still mysterious
composition known as gunpowder,—a discovery which has not only
immortalized the otherwise obscure monk, but, since its general
introduction and application to the use of fire-arms, has actually
432 _LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
given rise to a new era in the workings of man,—in fact, has been
the chief and all-powerful instrument in not only shaping the
mighty affairs of great nations in times past, but must ever con-
tinue to exercise a decided influence over the destinies of mankind
in all time to come.
All this happened about the year 1340; and the city of Freiburg
has lately very properly commemorated the wonderful event by
the erection of a handsome fountain, emblazoned with suitable in-
scriptions and surmounted by a statue of the fortunate discoverer.
CANNON.
Notwithstanding the reputed antiquity of cannon, they were
little known in England before the fourteenth century, and were
first employed as an engine of war by Edward III. At this early
period of their introduction into military service, they were of rude
construction and cumbersome proportions, and so continued, with
little or no improvement, till the reign of Henry VIII. This
monarch soon undertook the manufacture of ordnance, which was
continued with spirit and energy by his persevering successor,
Queen Elizabeth, and, during her reign, vast improvements were
made in their fabrication. The ‘‘hand-goune” was next invented,
—an instrument sufficiently rude in its construction when compared
with the guns of the present day, but still, as a first effort in this
branch of manufacture, a very serviceable weapon of attack as
well as defence. This “‘goune’’ was made light enough to be —
carried about by one person, and was fired by the application of a
match.
The stocked gun was the next improvement, which also was
fired by the application of a lighted match to the priming, either
through the medium of a match-lock or by the direct interposition
of the hand.
The “wheel-lock’”” was the next invention, and approximated
closely in principle if not in construction to the flint-lock of the
present day, a spark of fire being produced and communicated to
the priming by the friction of a notched wheel passing rapidly
THE GUN AND ITS VARIOUS PARTS. 433
over the edge of a flint-stone. The flint-lock of the present day
was the next step in order; and the percussion-lock, in its approved
form, was the last and best of all.
THE GUN AND ITS VARIOUS PARTS.
The gun being the principal instrument by means of which the
sportsman destroys his game, it seems proper that it should now
claim our particular attention, as the proper knowledge of its parts
and uses, as well as its perfections and imperfections, should be
thoroughly understood by the tyro before entering upon the sports
of the field. Without imparting this information, we cannot expect
our sporting friends to be competent to provide themselves with
such fowling-pieces as will come up to our ideal of beauty or
answer the good purposes that we design to exhibit in a superior
gun. Many of our readers will smile in anticipation of a long and
tedious dissertation upon a subject in which they can take but
little interest beyond the mere outward examination of an instru-
ment the skilful making and putting together of which has occu-
pied the minds of many of the most intelligent and ingenious spirits
of the Old World as well as the New. Many of our sportsmen are
content to go to the field with a second-rate or third-rate gun, feeling
well satisfied with its goodness provided it kills occasionally at long
28
434 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
distances and does not burst when overcharged. The nipples, to-be-
sure, will sometimes fly out, and the locks now and then get out of
order; but these trifling inconveniences can soon be rectified by
application to the gunsmith, village blacksmith, or perhaps by the
shooter’s own ready genius. Notwithstanding these occasional
mishaps, the gun is pronounced a “good one,” and no thought is
had of any thing superior, although many a fine day’s sport has
been interrupted by these “‘little annoyances” that cannot be
helped. The luxury of a superior gun, if we may so speak, is
never dreamed of by these people; and they cannot conceive the
possibility of shooting for years with the same fowling-piece with-
out once seeing it the least out of order. A weapon so dangerous
as a gun, even in the hands of the most careful, should certainly
be of excellent quality, and all its parts made of such materials as
to insure its safety at all times, under judicious management, and
leave no room for those melancholy accidents that so often occur
from the bursting and going off of inferior guns when least ex-
pected, owing to impurity of metal or the imperfect structure of
the locks or other portions of the machinery.
We do not intend to occupy, or rather bore, the reader with a
long scientific dissertation upon gun-making, but merely wish to
direct his attention to the subject in such a way that he will gain
in a few pages all the practical information in reference to a gun
that will be necessary to make him familiar with its history,
manufacture, and construction.
Before the introduction of guns into England, the longbow and
crossbow were the weapons mostly employed in war, as well as for
the chase. The latter instrument was most in favor with sports-
men, owing to the greater strength and certainty with which it
threw its arrows. Although the use of fire-arms, as before stated,
was somewhat known during the reign of Elizabeth, as well as that
of her predecessor, Henry the Eighth, and even as far back as
Edward the Third, (1327,) who is said to have first used a species
of mortar for the purpose of ejecting large stones against the Scots
when bombarding them in their native fastnesses, still, these rude
THE GUN AND ITS VARIOUS PARTS. 435
weapons were of so unwieldy a character that it was not thought
of introducing them into the chase. ven in the reign of Eliza-
beth, the muskets made under her directions for the use of the
army were so large and heavy that it was impossible for the soldier
to travel any great distance with them, or to hold them out at
arm’s length for the purpose of firing; but each one was obliged to
carry a staff with him, which he stuck in the ground to rest the
instrument upon while taking aim at his adversary. It was not
till the reign of Charles the First (1625) that small-arms were
made of such proportions as adapted them to the use of sportsmen ;
and even at this late period—nearly three hundred years after the
introduction of gunpowder—the small-arms, though vastly im-
proved, were still rude and cumbersome instruments, and suitable
only for the pursuit of large animals, as they could not be handled
or discharged with sufficient ease to enable the bearer to kill a bird
on the wing. ‘These weapons, like many other articles, have gone
through a regular series of improvements, until at last they have
in the present age arrived at a state of perfection beyond which it
is difficult to conceive any thing superior. Although the manu-
facture of guns has arrived at its present state of excellency, there
are thousands of miserable guns thrown into the markets of this
country; and very few really good ones are to be obtained, except
from those who import directly from some one of the celebrated’
makers of England, or by applying only to some two or three of
our own gunsmiths either in Philadelphia or New York; and then
it is no easy matter to get exactly what the sportsman wishes, if
he be not able to describe minutely and superintend in a measure
the budding of it himself. The reason of this is that our me-
chanics have so many tastes and fancies to please, owing principally
to the ignorance of those who order fowling-pieces, that they have
adopted no generally-acknowledged standard or style to guide
them in the getting up of guns suitable for certain kinds of sport.
We wish our readers to acquire a certain degree of information
on these points, so that they may sit at home and give an order for
a gun to be made in some distant city, using all the terms and tech-
A36 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
nicalities appertaining to the instrument in such a business-like
manner that their description may be perfectly comprehended not
only by themselves but also by the gunsmith, which will prevent the
occurrence of any mistakes on the part of the mechanic or disap-
pointments to the sportsman. All this information can be obtained
by a few hours of reading and examination of the various parts of
the gun. ‘The first thing to be acquired is a knowledge of the terms
used by gunsmiths when speaking of a gun; we will therefore com-
mence our lesson by an alphabetical list of these terms, with which
every sportsman should be familiar.
ANTECHAMBER.—The small opening or passage forming a connection between
the end of the tube and the chamber, and through which the fire from the
cap is conducted to the powder lying in the chamber.
Bouts.—The small sliding pins that pass through the fore-end of the stock,
and, fitting in the loops of the barrels, secure them in their position.
Bout-Loops.—-Small iron loops or eyes attached to the barrel, through which
the bolts pass to fasten the barrel to the stock.
Break-OFF, OR Fatse Breecuine.—The piece of metal made fast to the stock
by the cross-pin, into which the hooks of the breeches must be inserted
before the barrels will slip into their bed. :
Bripie.—The piece of polished steel, partly covering the tumbler and scear,
in which the pivot of the tumbler works, holding all the machinery secure.
BriD.E-PINs.—Small screws which keep the bridle in its place.
Cap.—The piece of metal covering the worm of the ramrod.
Cap.—The metal finish at the extreme point of the stock.
Cuan, or SwiveLt.—A small piece of steel fastened to the neck of the tumbler
to receive the end of the mainspring.
CHAMBER, oR Cup.—The space or opening in the centre of the breech designed
to hold a portion of the charge of powder.
Cock, Hammer, or Striker.—The arm of the lock, which, being freed by the
pressure of the fore-finger on the trigger, falls on the nipple and explodes
the cap.
Cross-PIN, oR FatsE-BREECH Screw.—The screw which, passing through the
trigger-plate and stock, secures the break-off or false breeching.
Cup.—See CHAMBER.
EscutcHzons.—Pieces of metal set in the stock through which the bolts pass,
so as to prevent the wearing or chafing of the woodwork. ‘Also, the metal
shield or thumb-piece on which the crest or name is engraved.
THE GUN AND ITS VARIOUS PARTS. 437
Face or Heap or tHe Hamuer.—That portion of the cock surrounded with a
rim, guard, or nose, which on its fall comes in contact with the nipple and
explodes the cap.
Fatse Brercuine.—See Break-orr.
FALSE-BREECH SCREW.—See CRosS-PIN.
Guarp.—Curved plate of metal to protect the triggers.
Guarp-scrEws.—The screws by which the guard is fastened to the stock.
Hamuer.—See Cock.
H{AMMER-BRIDLE.—That portion of the lock in which the tail of the hammer
works.
HAMMER-SPRING.—The pin on which the tail of the hammer is moved.
Heap or THE Hammer.—See Face or tHE Hammer.
Heet-PLate.—The plate with which the butt is tipped.
HeeEt-pLate Screws.—Screws which secure the heel-plate to the stock.
Locx-PLatE.—Plate to which the works of the lock are attached.
Mainsprine.—The large spring attached to the swivel by which the lock is
worked.
Nippiz, Pryor, or Tuse.—The smal] steel pillar screwed into the breeches, on
which the copper cap is placed.
Patent Brezcu.—The piece of metal which is screwed into the end of the
barrel and forms the chamber.
Pirrs.—Bands to receive the ramrod.
Prvot.—See NIpPLe.
Ramrop-HEAD.—The piece of metal which, surrounding the head of the ram-
rod, prevents it from splitting,
Ramrop-screw, oR Worm.—The screw at the end of the rod for,the purpose
of drawing a wad.
Rop-stop.—The small piece of metal on the inner side of the barrel, contiguous
to the muzzle, which prevents the ramrod from slipping out.
Sczar.—The small piece of metal which catches in the bends of the tumblers
for whole or half-cock, and, when pushed out of position by the trigger,
permits the cock to fall on the cap.
Scrar-pin.—The small screw which passes through the scear into the lock-plate
and keeps it in its proper position.
Scrar-spRinc.—The spring which forces and holds the scear in the bends or
notches of the tumbler.
Scrar-SpRING Screw.—The screw which keeps the scear-spring in its place.
ScroLL-GuarD.—Extension of the guard to protect the hand.
SrpeE-Pin, oR Narti.—The screw that holds the lock to the stock.
Sicut.—The piece of metal attached to the end of the gun-barrel, to assist
the eye in taking aim at the object.
438 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
SicHt-PLate.—See Top-PIEcE.
Sprinc-cramp.—An instrument for taking out the mainspring.
Strocx.—The wood portion of the piece.
Srriker.—sSee Cock.
Swiver.—See Cuan.
Top-PIEcE, SIGHT-PLATE, OR UpreR Ris.—The elevated metal plate along which
the eye is directed to the sight.
TriacerS.—Light pieces of metal protected by the guard, extending to the
interior of the lock, and which, upon being pressed by the forefinger, with-
draw the scear from the tumbler, and thus permit the cock to fall and
explode the cap.
TRIGGER-PLATE.—The plate in which the trigger works.
TRIGGER-SPRING.—The small spring that, pressing against the trigger, keeps
it close to the scear.
Tusr.—See NIpPue. ‘
Tumsier.—The movable centre-piece of a lock, having an axle passing through
the lock-plate to which the cock is fastened.
TUMBLER-SCREW OR PIN.—The screw with which the cock or hammer is fastened
to the tumbler.
Unper Cross-pin.—The screw which passes through the front of the guard
or trigger-plate into the base of the break-off.
Unvrer Ris.—tThe plate of metal running the whole length of the barrels,
which, together with the upper rib or sight-plate, holds them securely
together.
Upper Ris.—See Top-Pirce.
Vent, or VENT-HOLE.—A small hole at the side of the breeching, intended to
allow the escape of a portion of the explosive force and lessen the recoil.
Wormu.—See Ramrop-screw.
ide
ih il \
GUNS MADE TO ORDER. 439
GUNS MADE TO ORDER.
Guns are made to order in this country at a much less price
than they can be imported from England: that is, if they are pur-
chased of celebrated makers, who of course charge considerably
for their reputation.
Westley Richards, one of the most noted gunmakers of England,
who perhaps turns out more good guns than any other manufac-
turer in that country, is, we believe, very generally known by
reputation to all American sportsmen, many of whom pride them-
selves in the possession of his fowling-pieces.
The following memorandum contains the dimensions and make
of a very superior partridge-gun, built to order and imported by a
gentleman of this city. For the information of our readers, we
have also added a copy of the bill as rendered by the manufac-
turer, together with the actual estimate of shipping-charges, duty, &c.
The price paid, no doubt, will seem very exorbitant to many of
our sportsmen, who are contented with guns at half or a third of
the price; but when the workmanship and superior quality of the
article are duly considered, we cannot but be satisfied with the
price, as high as it may appear.
DIMENSIONS BY ACTUAL MEASUREMENT.
Whole length of stock, from butt to cap, two feet one inch.
Length or depth of butt, five and a half inches, with a slightly concave
surface two inches in width. ~
From axis of cock to cap, ten and a quarter inches.
Width of stock before the guard, one inch and three-quarters, and made
square.
Length of barrels, including chambers, two feet six inches.
Weight of barrels, four pounds.
Whole weight of gun, seven pounds.
Whole length of gun, from butt to point of barrels, three feet ten inches.
Bore, No. 14.
Load, one and a quarter ounces shot, with same bulk of powder.
440 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
BILL.
82 Hieu Street, Birmingham.
Westley Richards, gun-manufacturer to his Royal Highness Prince Albert. Agent in
London, Wm. Bishop, No. 170 New Bond Street.
Best double-barrel gun, 14 gauge, No. 5723.............sseceeesenereeeees £31 10 0
Mahogany case complete ;* best leather cover, 36s.; 2000 caps, 20s. ;
oxOf Pwadsy (Soe sessile he coe cee cce ah vs ablcarene ce ousdeoucssmeeeue ene teees 3 40
£34 14 0
Add to the foregoing bill the following charges, and
we will have the exact cost of the piece :—
Pxchansenl@ per Cente sumaccsssctesutee: caseacenc-ceteececs £3 93
Shipping charges, freight, insurance.................ceseeeee 1 00
Dat eG ee eae a oe Nm biel ace 1111, 4 £16 0) 7
£50 147
or
$225 46
Sportsmen should not hesitate between a doubtful and a superior
gun on account of a trifling expenditure, as it is a purchase that
is made only once or twice in a lifetime; and there is a certain
degree of comfort and pleasure in going to the field for a day’s
amusement with the assurance of handling a weapon which no
ordinary usage can injure, and that we have nothing to fear from
accidents, which feeling of confidence richly repays us for all the
unusual outlay.
The saving of a few dollars in the purchase of a gun would ill
repay a shooter for the loss of a hand by an explosion, or perhaps
the maiming of a friend or the death of a valuable dog by the
going off of his gun, owing to poorly-made locks. ‘There are few
or no guns made entirely in this country; the barrels and locks
are generally imported from England. When about being made
up by respectable gunsmiths, they are subjected to a proof-test,
although they may already have the proof-mark on them.
* Containing powder-flask, shot-bag, liquor-flask, and implements for cleaning,
extra ramrod, &c. Since this purchase the price has been advanced two or three
pounds, making a difference of ten or fifteen dollars in the cost.
GUNSMITHS. 441
GUNSMITHS.
We have in our country several deserving and ingenious me-
chanics who have devoted many years to the manufacture of
fire-arms almost exclusively for sporting-purposes; and if they
had met with half the liberality and encouragement that are so
freely bestowed by the English gentry upon the same class of
operatives in the old country, we no doubt should now be able to
boast of men in this branch of business who could vie in every
thing with those of England.
Our sportsmen, however, are too much in the habit of trusting
their lives, as well as those of their friends, to the use of one of
the many cheap guns which are either imported into this country
from England, or, what is still worse, from Germany. This being
the case, we cannot be surprised at the frequent occurrence of
accidents of a serious character, in every section of the country,
during the shooting-season.
There are several gunmakers in New York, all of whom are said
to be clever in their profession. Each and every one of them
have their patrons, always ready to extol them and their works to
the skies. We are not, however, personally acquainted with any
of them, and therefore only state what we have learned from others
respecting these men. We have examined some of their work,
and certainly have no fault to find with the greater portion of that
which has come under our notice as “crack jobs,” although ‘their
ordinary every-day work is far inferior to much of the same kind
turned out of the second-rate gunshops of England.
In Philadelphia we also have several respectable gunmakers
entitled to notice. All of these mechanics are about on a par
with those of New York, although they claim for themselves a
supericrity over those of the latter city; with what truth, how-
ever, we know not, as their work all seems about the same in
appearance and quality, and their guns shoot no farther or stronger,
so far as we are able to judge. In what their superiority consists
we are at a loss to say, except it be in the fact that they turn out
449 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
work at a much less cost than they do in New York, which, of
course, is some recommendation to every one, provided it is equally
good; and this one circumstance is perhaps sufficient to account
for the many orders which the Philadelphia gunsmiths receive
from New York sportsmen.
We have handled many fine guns, fresh from the hands of the
gunmakers of our city, and no doubt there are many persons
ready to say they have seen as many bad ones. In this particular
the respectable mechanics of America differ from those of Eng-
land. With us, they turn out good, bad, and indifferent work
every day, calculated to suit the requirements of trade, or rather
the tastes and purses of their customers; whereas those of the
old country—we mean those of some reputation—have but one
style of doing business, and that is, all that comes from their shops
is as perfect as it can be made, and the sending forth of one bad
piece of workmanship would not unfrequently be attended with
heavy loss, if not perhaps professional ruin. In matters of sport-
ing the English are extremely particular, and consequently are
less disposed to forgive or forget a piece of negligence on the part
of a gunsmith than any other mechanic, as such negligence or
slighting of work is often attended with serious results, in the
maiming or perhaps untimely death of some one of their number,
perhaps from among a large circle of influential sporting friends,
whose patronage alone is sufficient to make a fortune,—at all events,
quite strong enough to create or destroy the professional reputation
of any gunsmith in the country whose character as a mechanic is
not already well and deservedly established.
WELDING BARRELS. 443
WELDING BARRELS.
The process for making common gun-barrels is very simple, and
is done in the following manner:—A bar of iron is heated and
hammered out into a thin flexible rod, resembling a good-sized
hoop, of a length and thickness proportionate to the size and
weight of the intended barrel. This rod is beat thinner at the
muzzle-end than it is at the end intended for the breech.
This being arranged, the hoop is heated and turned round a
mandrel, (a rod of tempered iron much smaller than the intended
bore of the gun,) with the edges overlapping each other the half of
an inch or so, and when welded together the barrels have the ap-
pearance of being manufactured or bored from a solid rod of iron.
After being turned round the mandrel, the overlapping joints of
the hoop are welded together by heating three or four inches of
the tube at a time, and beating upon an anvil furnished with several
semicircular furrows suitable for the various-sized barrels that are
manufactured. This is the modus operandi adopted for forging
common barrels, such as are used for exportation, and of which
trash immense quantities come to this country through the hands
of our hardwaremen.
The forging of stub-twist barrels and other barrels of a better
description is quite a different operation, and requires far more
labor and skill. The rod of iron is first heated to a red heat, a
few inches at a time, and, one end being made stationary in a vice
or other suitable contrivance, the other is seized by an instrument
with a handle similar to an auger, by means of which it is twisted
round a bar of iron (the mandrel) much smaller than the intended
bore. By this operation the fibres of the metal are twisted in a
spiral direction, which arrangement is known to resist the explosive
force of powder much more than when the fibres all run longitudi-
nally. The hoops or rods of the best stub-twist are generally about
half an inch or less in width, and consequently there will be over two
spirals in every inch of barrel, when the twisting process is com-
plete, as the joints are not made to overlap each other, but are forced
444 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
to unite by a process termed “‘jumping,’’ after the bar is entirely
twisted. The greater the number of spirals to an inch, the more
labored and perfect is the manufacture of the barrel, and the more
expensive is the getting of it up. The rods for wire-twist barrels
are extremely narrow,—only three-eighths of an inch, or less, in
width; and the quantity of spirals is consequently increased.
After the hoops have been twisted round the rods, the spirals
are joined together by heating the unclosed cylinder to a welding-
heat and striking the end against the anvil, which springs them
together so forcibly that, with a little hammering, the whole
cylinder becomes welded as if formed of only one continuous piece.
After the spirals are joined, the barrel is hammered in the grooves
of the anvil to make it perfectly round.
It requires two, three, or four spiral cylinders, according to the
length of the piece, to make one barrel; and great nicety and
dexterity are necessary to join them together so that the barrel
may appear to have been made out of one rod only. In common
barrels this union of the rods may be distinctly seen wpon examina-
tion before they are stained, and indeed very often after they come
from the stainer’s hands.
The next process in the manufacture of barrels is what is termed
‘¢hammer-hardening,”’ which is accomplished by beating the metal for
a considerable time in the grooves of the anvil with light hammers,
for the purpose of closing the pores, increasing the density and
elasticity, and rendering the texture more firm, flexible, and solid.
This labor is not often bestowed upon ordinary barrels, got up
merely for the home or foreign trade, but on ordered or show-guns
only.
BORING.
The barrels are now submitted to the boring-mill for the pur-
pose of giving them their proper calibre. This end is accom-
plished with the assistance of steam. ‘The barrel being properly
arranged on a frame, the boring-bit is introduced into the muzzle,
and, by the application of the necessary power, is made to traverse
GRINDING AND TURNING. 445
the whole extent of the barrel, a stream of water playing upon the
metal during the whole process, for the purpose of keeping down
the heat that is engendered by the severe friction of the bit, and
which, if allowed to increase to its full extent, might injure the
quality of the metal.
The first or rough boring being finished, a bit of still larger size
is now introduced, and the same process gone through with until
the barrel is entirely freed from all unevenness and its whole inter-
nal surface made to shine like a mirror.
If the barrels, after repeated borings, should still exhibit an un-
even surface and present flaws and depressions, they are rejected,
and the metal returned to the forge, as it would be unsafe to bore
them still thinner when the metal is so soft and frangible.
Some gunsmiths bore barrels by hand; and a good workman will
make a beautiful instrument in this way, although it will take
treble the time to finish it. The utmost nicety is requisite in the
boring of barrels, as they should be perfect cylinders, and of exact
calibre throughout their entire length. When they have passed
the inspection of the lynx-eyed workman to whom this important
process is confided, the barrels are handed over to the grinder, to
be ground, turned, and polished.
GRINDING.
The barrels being bored, the grinder submits them to the friction
of a revolving stone, for the purpose of freeing them from all the
scales and roughness which cover them when they come from the
hands of the welder.
TURNING.
A smooth surface being obtained by the application of the stone
by the grinder, the barrels are next to be turned, which is ac-
complished either with a common turning-lathe or a self-acting
machine.
A mandrel exactly fitting the size of the barrel is first intro-
duced; the barrel is then placed in the lathe and the machine set
446 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
in motion, and the whole process completed in a very short time,
without any further interference on the part of the workman.
Turning by steam is far cheaper and even much superior to
handwork, as the process of turning with a common hand-lathe is
laborious in the extreme, and quite uncertain except in the hands
of very superior and skilful mechanics.
The process of turning by a simple lathe is as follows:—The
barrel being fixed in the lathe, an inch or so of the surface, both
at the breech and muzzle end, is turned to the proper diameter ;
the rest is then removed to a distance of four or five inches from
these points, and another inch or so of the surface at either end is
removed, andsoon; great care being taken, however, at each opera-
tion, to make the depth of the turning correspond with the size and
calibre of the barrel. This part of the process being accomplished,
the next step is to file away, by means of an instrument termed a
“float,” the projecting surfaces of the barrel intervening between the
parts cut out by the lathe; the barrels are now ready for breech-
ing and the tests of the proof-house.
BRAZING AND BREECHING.
The barrels for double-guns are now filed away at the breech
and muzzle, to make them lie against each other snugly, bound
together, and then brazed with hard solder or brass for several
inches. The practice of brazing is highly censured by Greener,
who asserts that by this process the strength of common barrels is
diminished twelve and a half per cent., and that of hammer-hard-
ened barrels to a still greater extent. His ideas on the subject
are doubtless very correct, as the heating of the metal afresh to a
white heat, for the purpose of brazing, must necessarily take away
a portion of the tenacity or strength which it has already acquired
during the process of hammer-hardening. After the brazing, the
barrels are tapped or turned out, ready for the reception of the
breeches, and then sent to the proof-house.
PROVING BARRELS. A447
PROVING BARRELS.
There is no department in the manufacture of a gun in which
there is more deception than that of the proving-house. We do not
wish to be understood to say that frauds upon the public actually
take place under the eye and with the full cognizance of the com-
panies to whom this important duty is confided; but we wish to in-
form our readers that large quantities of barrels are palmed off on
the public, and particularly on the American market, having all the
insignia of the London and Birmingham proof-houses, which never,
at any time, were across the threshold of either establishment.
This is accomplished by forging the marks of these companies,
and the deception is carried on to a very great extent; our readers,
therefore, will see at once how much reliance can be placed on
these marks when pointed out to them by the regular dealers as
tests of the goodness of suspicious-looking guns.
The proving of gun-barrels was first introduced, according to
writers on the subject, about the twelfth century, and originated with
the company of gun-makers themselves. The enactments respecting
the department, however, after a while became null and void, from
a want of adequate means and a proper disposition on the part of
the manufacturers to enforce them. Public attention, however,
was again aroused to the importance of this matter early in the
present century, owing to the discredit that had fallen on all Eng-
lish hand-arms, insomuch that sportsmen were obliged to seek their
guns in other quarters than their own country, and considerable
numbers were purchased in Spain and France for their use. In
1815, further legislation upon this subject made it obligatory upon
all manufacturers to send their gun-barrels either to the London
or Birmingham proof-houses to be tested, under a penalty of twenty
pounds for every infraction of this ordinance; and the same fine
was attached to the forging of the proof-marks of these companies.
Previous to these enactments, thousands of guns were manufactured
for the foreign trade which were perfectly good-for-nothing, and
the dealers themselves in these ‘‘sham-guns, sham-dam, park-
é
448 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
o
palings,”’ as they were termed, knew full well that they would
most likely burst under the first explosion of a moderate-sized
charge of powder and shot. Large numbers of these dangerous
weapons were sent to this country; but they were furnished in far
greater numbers to the slave-dealers for their nefarious and in-
human traffic on the coast of Africa. One of these worthless instru-
ments, costing but a few shillings, was the usual price at that time
of a human being; and what made the transaction still more unholy
was the full knowledge, on the part of the traders, that the igno- .
yant and degraded barterer in his own flesh and blood would soon
pay the penalty of his wickedness, in the loss of a portion of his
hand, if not his life, by the bursting of his ill-gotten prize.
In spite of the parliamentary enactments for the government
of this important department, great frauds, as before stated, still
continue to be practised upon the public, particularly upon foreign
consumers. |
If all the gun-barrels that come to our country were properly
tested on the other side, we would not so often hear of the burst-
ing of guns and the distressing accidents consequent upon these
mishaps. The fact is, that the London and Birmingham proof-
marks are not only forged in England, but they are even imitated
in Germany; and large quantities of the latter trash, far worse
than the most inferior English, are imported into our country, and
may be bought at almost any price ranging from five to fifteen
dollars for a double-barrelled gun of quite respectable appear-
ance, and warranted in good faith by the ignorant dealers a regu-
lar stub-twist.
Greener gives a proof-scale of charges by which every barrel
should be tested at the established proof-houses, and also furnishes
a complete description of the whole business, which is quite inte-
resting and instructive. All the respectable gunmakers of Ame-
rica test their gun-barrels themselves before they make them up for
their customers.
The London proof-house requires that double-barrelled guns be
joined together and breeched before testing, so that the gunsmith
STAINING BARRELS. 449
may be prevented from making them weaker by filing and brazing
after the proof is stamped on them.
f
STAINING BARRELS.
There are a great many modes adopted as well as receipts given
for the staining of gun-barrels: the basis of all, however, is the
action of acids on the metal. Great numbers of inferior barrels
are thus colored to resemble those of a superior quality, and these
deceptions are very difficult to be discovered by inexperienced
eyes. It was formerly supposed that the presence of ‘“ smoke-brown
staining’’ was a positive guarantee of the quality of the metal from
which the piece was manufactured: such, however, is no longer the
case, as the gunsmiths are now enabled to produce this particular
coloring even on the most ordinary barrels. In fact, so numerous
and artful are the tricks now resorted to by the Birmingham people
to deceive their customers, that the only safe plan left by which
to secure a good and trusty gun is to order one of “a competent
and honorable artist,’’ of whom there are several on this side of the
water as well as on the other.
THE METAL USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNS.
Very few sportsmen are acquainted with the peculiar kinds of
iron used in the manufacture of gun-barrels. Although they fre-
quently make use of the terms ‘‘stub-and-twist,’”’ ‘wire-twist,”’
‘Damascus barrels,” &c., they are generally quite ignorant of the
real meaning of these terms, and know nothing of their import,
origin, or application; in truth, they palaver often like parrots,
29
450 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
without understanding the very phrases they make use of. This
being the case, we shall endeavor to enlighten them on the subject
in as short a space as possible, as we have so many other topics to ~
treat of that we fear to dilate on any subject lest our work become
too voluminous for our sporting friends to wade through.
STUB-TWIST BARRELS.
These barrels are very scarce,—that is, the real genuine stub-
twist,—owing to the great difficulty of collecting the materials
from which they are manufactured, the cost of working, &c. This
may at first sight seem a strange assertion to some of our réaders,
many of whom, no doubt, are under the impression that most of
the guns in the possession of their friends, as well as those they
have themselves, styled ‘‘stwb-twist,’’ are really and truly as
genuine specimens as could be produced in any part of the world.
Stop a moment, however, my incredulous friends, till you have
learned from Greener of what a stub-and-twist barrel is com-
pounded, and how it is wrought into a gun, and then tell me if
you can expect to purchase one of these “‘rare gems’’ on this side
of the water, or even on the other side, for the paltry sum of
twenty-five or thirty dollars, lock and stock included.
“Old horse-nail stubs have, for a great number of years, been
considered the best kind of scraps for the purpose of making the
most superior gun-barrels. Numerous attempts have been made
to find a composition of scraps to equal it, but so far without
success. At what time the practice of using old stubs was adopted,
we have no certain data. From the appearance of the oldest bar-
rels, I should venture to say that it was coeval with their invention.
It requires, however, no gift of prophecy to say that their use will
not long continue, from the difficulty of obtaining them good,
being only now to be procured from the Continent, and that with
increasing difficulty.
‘Before proceeding to manufacture them into iron, women are
employed to sort and examine each stub, to see that no malleable
.cast-iron nails or other impurities are mixed with them. They are
STUB-TWIST BARRELS. 451
then taken and put into a drum, resembling a barrel-churn, through
the centre of which passes a shaft that is attached to the steam-
engine, which works the rolling-mill, bellows, &. When the
machine is put in motion, the stubs are rolled and tumbled over
each other to such a degree that the friction completely cleanses
them of all rust, and they come forth with the brightness of
silver. The steel with which they are mixed, (generally coach-
springs,) after being separated and softened, is clipped into small
pieces, corresponding in size to the stubs, by a pair of large shears
working by steam. ‘These pieces are then, like the stubs, also put
into a drum, in order to be divested of any rust they may retain,
and are subsequently weighed out in the proportion of twenty-five
pounds of stubs to fifteen of steel.
“‘ After being properly mixed together, they are put into an air-
furnace and heated to a state of fusion, in which state they are
stirred up by a bar of the same mixture of iron and steel, until,
by their adhesion, they form a ball of apparently melting metal.
During this process, the bar has become sufficiently heated to
attach itself to the burning mass, technically called a bloom of
iron, and by its aid the whole is removed from the furnace to the
forge-hammer, by which it is reduced to a bar of iron of far less
weight than the original mass, the weight lost being wasted in the
process of welding and hammering. From the forge it passes to the
rolling-mill, where it is reduced to the size wanted. By this mode
of manufacturing, the iron and steel are so intimately united and
blended that the peculiar properties of each are imparted to every
portion of the mass, and the whole receives the degree of hardness
and softness required. The. process is admirable; and the mixture
is calculated to produce a metal the best fitted, under the circum-
stances, to answer the purpose of manufacturing gun-barrels of the
best deseription.”’
Spanish barrels, manufactured of the stubs of the nails used in -
putting on the shoes of the mules and horses, formerly had a great
and deserved reputation among English sportsmen,—in fact, com-
manding prices far beyond any guns produced in England.» So
452 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
great was the demand for these far-famed barrels, and so eager
was every one to possess them, that it was not uncommon—so Blain
informs us—for purchasers to be found at twenty, thirty, and even
forty pounds for a single barrel.
The labor bestowed upon the manufacture of these barrels was
exceeded alone by that of the operatives on Damascus arms; and to
such an extent was the hammering of the lusty smith carried, that
it was not unusual for a mass of stubs, weighing from forty to fifty
pounds, to be reduced by repeated beatings to a rod sufficient only
to make a single barrel. By this long and arduous process the
utmost ductility, tenacity, and purity were acquired, which ren-
dered these guns superior for safety and shooting-powers to all
other manufactures. Spanish barrels are no longer sought after
with the same eagerness as in former times, owing to many circum-
stances that have operated to prejudice the public against them, as
well as the present superior character of the stub-twist manufac-
tured by English artists, and which, we opine, cannot be ex-
celled by any barrels coming either from Spain or the Hast.
Great deception was practised in the getting up and sale of
Spanish barrels as soon as it was known that there was such a
demand for them in England,—a demand, in truth, which could not
be supplied in the ordinary course of trade, as there was not suffi-
cient genuine stub-metal in all Spain to make these barrels fast
enough for their foreign, much less their home, consumption. In-
ferior barrels consequently were imported from Spain, having the
names of the most celebrated makers of Madrid engraved on them.
Nor was this the only deception practised upon the public, for
Spanish barrels were actually counterfeited in the manufactories
of Germany, and the country consequently soon became flooded
with the most worthless and spurious trash imaginable, all purport-
ing to be of real Spanish origin.
There is considerable difference between a stub-twist and a
wire-twist, or a stub-twist and a plain-twist. All twists are not
stub-twists; neither is it necessary for all stub-barrels to be twisted
barrels. Although there is a wide difference between all these
WIRE-TWIST IRON. 453
terms, it is very usual for our dealers in guns, as well as sports-
men, to make little or no distinction in their application. We
do not, however, wish to find fault with our hardwaremen for
the exhibition of such ignorance, when real, as they have but few,
if any, sources from which they can obtain such information as
would set them right on these subjects. There are, nevertheless,
some importers as well as traders in guns among us who do know
better than to impose upon their ignorant customers in the shame-
ful manner in which they do, as they are well aware of the differ-
ence in cost, workmanship,.and quality, between a genuine stub-
twist and a wire-twist, and they should not boldly assert the one
to be as good as the other, when they know what they say is false
in every particular. Such conduct is very culpable, and more so
when they are fully aware that the weapons they are selling are
imperfect and often really dangerous to use.
WIRE-TWIST IRON.
This is the next quality of iron used in the manufacture of gun-
barrels, and the mode of making the bar of wire-twist is thus de-
seribed by Greener :—“‘ Alternate bars of iron and steel are placed
on each other in numbers of six each: they are then forged into
one body or bar; after which, if for the making of wire-twist bar-
rels, they are rolled down into rods of three-eighths of an inch in
breadth and varying in thickness according to the size of the bar-
rel for which they are wanted; if for Damascus, invariably three-
eighths of an inch square. When about to be twisted into spirals
454 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
for barrels, care must be taken that the edges of the steel and iron
shall be outermost, so that, when the barrel is finished and browned,
it shall have the appearance of being welded of pieces the size of
wires the whole length of the barrel.’’ A little further on, our
author remarks :—“‘ The objection made to the wire-twist is that,
owing to the iron and steel being perfectly separate bodies, run-
ning through the whole thickness of the barrel, there is a difficulty
in welding them perfectly, and of course there is a danger of its
breaking across at any trifling imperfection. This objection is
certainly well grounded, as many barrels break in the proving. I
have myself seen a very strong barrel indeed broken across the
knee without the slightest difficulty, while to all appearances it was
perfectly sound. ‘This is the reason why the manufacturers have
ceased to make them, except for the American trade.”
It is well known that every description of gun-barrel made in
England that is deemed of a very inferior quality—in fact, too
dangerous to be manufactured into a gun at home—is shipped to
our country for sale. The knowledge of this circumstance should
make all sportsmen rather chary in the purchase of guns from the
hands of those who, from zgnorance or want of principle, are ready
to palm upon them any kind of a weapon, no matter how inferior
or how dangerous.
DAMASCUS BARRELS
“‘ Are pretty to look at, but they possess no advantage over the
wire-twist barrels; if any thing, they are inferior in strength and
tenacity. The twisting which the barrels go through before they
are welded together, for the purpose of forming into a barrel, in-
stead of adding strength to the body of the metal, rather loosens
the texture, by tearing asunder the parallel fibres, the close adhe-
sion of which constitutes the power and strength of the metal.”
These barrels are made as follows:—‘‘ When about to be con-
verted into Damascus, the rod is heated the whole length, and the
two square ends put into the heads (one of which is a fixture) of a
description of lathe, which is worked by a handle similar to a
CHARCOAL IRON. 455
winch. It is then twisted like a rope, or, as Colonel Hawker says,
wrung as wet clothes are, until it has from twelve to fourteen com-
plete turns in the inch. By this severe twisting, the rod of six
feet is shortened to three, doubled in thickness, and made perfectly
round. Three of these rods are then placed together, with the
inclinations of the twists running in opposite directions. They
are then welded into one, and rolled down to .a rod eleven-six-
teenths of an inch in breadth.”
CHARCOAL IRON.
This species of iron, we believe, is the kind of metal from which
most of the guns imported into our country by hardwaremen are
manufactured. When we say most of the guns, we mean most of
the best guns, as there are thousands of guns made of still more.
inferior metal than charcoal iron, expressly for the American
trade. These barrels are generally palmed off upon the ignorant
as the real stwb-twist; they are, however, far inferior to the
genuine article. The metal is composed entirely of old iron
without any admixture of steel, and therefore is greatly deficient
in the strength or elasticity of either the stub or wire-twist.
OTHER KINDS OF METALS.
There are several other varieties of metals or compounds from
which gun-barrels are manufactured for foreign trade; they are
generally far inferior even to charcoal iron, and are wanting not
only in strength, but also in the tenacity and ductility so neces-
sary for the making of an instrument which is intended to hold
within bounds so dangerous and powerful a composition as gun-
powder. Great numbers of these worthless weapons find their
way to this country, and hundreds of individuals are crippled with
them every year. A full description of all these metals will be
found in Greener, as also a general exposé of all the deceptions
carried on in the gun-trade.
456 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
WOOD FOR STOCKING.
Walnut is universally preferred in America for stocking; it is
abundant, strong, durable, and handsome, and therefore combines
many, if not all, the qualities calculated to recommend it to the
gunsmith. Its natural beauty is very much improved by staining,
and many useful points under this head may be learned from
Hawker. The following method, however, we meet with in
Greener’s work; and, as we have tested its merits, we feel no hesita-
tion in recommending it to our readers:—‘“‘After having got them
(the stocks) dressed and sandpapered as fine as you possibly can
for walnut, take a composition of unboiled linseed-oil and alkanet-
root, in the proportion of four ounces of the latter to half a pint
of oil. These, after being amalgamated for a week, will be of a
beautiful crimson color, and will not fail to make walnut a hand-
some brown, on being laid on three or four times with a sponge.”
Bird’s-eye maple is also used for stocking, and is preferred by
some to walnut on account of the greater beauty of its grain; we,
however, and most other sportsmen, consider it far inferior to
walnut. Greener remarks that maple possesses less “conducting
principle’ than any other kind of wood, and therefore is well cal-
culated to lessen the recoil, and on this account is best calculated
for gun-stocks. Of this argument, however, we think very lightly,
for the reason that no partridge-gun properly loaded should recoil
with sufficient force to give a disagreeable shock, whether the stock
be made of walnut, maple, or any other kind of suitable wood.
The following method for staining maple, taken from the same
source as the above, we have also used,—not on a gun-stock, how-
ever, as we have no gun stocked with this description of wood;
but we tried it on some articles of furniture, and found it to
answer a most excellent purpose,—in fact, imparting a beautiful
and elegant appearance to the wood:—
‘“‘ Mix an ounce and a half of nitrous acid with about the same
quantity of iron turnings or filings. After the gas which is created
by the mixture has evaporated, take a piece of rag and dip it in
WOOD FOR STOCKING. 457
the liquid left, and wet all parts of the stock you wish to stain.
Let it stand until it is quite dry; then lay on a slight coat of the
oil and alkanet-root. Take a quantity of joiners’ shavings: set
fire to them, and pass the stock through the flame until it becomes
quite black or the oil is quite burnt off. Re-sandpaper it, and
you will find it, if possessing any figure, of a beautiful mottle.
Add a few more coats of oil; it is then ready for varnishing, or
any other .way you may fancy to have it finished.”
Maple stained in this way looks very beautiful, but we do not
consider it either so handsome or so suitable for stocking as
walnut; it is much more brittle and knotty, and is liable to break
if roughly handled.
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CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ART OF COOKING GAME.
‘¢ God sends meat ;’,—who sends cooks?
Nequaquam satis in re un& consumere curam:
Ut si quis solfiim hoc, mala ne sint vina, laboret,
Quali perfundat pisces securus olivo.”
O not imagine, brother sportsman, that we
are going to dive into all the mysteries and
complicated paraphernalia of a cookery-
book, or, as a scientific gourmand, that we
are about to extol alone the pleasures, the
delights, and the joys, of a well-spread
table. In extenuation, or rather in sup-
port, of our trifling efforts to promote the
happiness of our sporting friends when as-
sembled around the convivial board with appetites made vigorous by
the manly labors of the field, we beg to call their attention for a mo-
ment to the sage remarks of the philosophic Rumford when speaking
on this subject :—‘‘ The enjoyments which fall to the lot of the bulk
458
THE ART OF COOKING GAME. 459
of mankind are not so numerous as to render an attempt to increase
them superfluous. And even in regard to those who have it in
their power to gratify their appetites to the utmost extent of their
wishes, it is surely rendering them a very important service to
show them how they may increase their pleasures without destroy-
ing their health.” Dr. Mayo, in his ‘‘ Philosophy of Living,” also
remarks that ‘‘man, unlike animals, is in best humor when he is
feeding, and more disposed then than at other times to cultivate
those amicable relations by which the bonds of society are
strengthened.”
Who among our readers will not cheerfully acknowledge the
force of such sentiments, emanating, as they do, from men of study,
reflection, and practical observation? Who among them will not
concede, in the fulness of his heart, that ‘“‘a good dinner is one of
the greatest enjoyments of human life’? Who ever knew of a
philosopher refusing to participate in the festivities of a banquet?
And who ever encountered the still stranger sight of a disciple of
Hippocrates living up to the dietetic precepts laid down for the
guidance of his refractory patients?
Look around you on every side, ye carping cynics and snarling
bigots, and see how many men of the greatest talents and rarest
virtues, whether of the present day or of ages past, have sought
pleasure in the mnocent enjoyments of the table, and thus convince
yourselves that these indulgences are not ‘‘incompatible with in-
tellectual pursuits or mental superiority.’ Doctor Johnson, with
all his wonderful attainments, did not consider a good dinner or a
recherché supper beneath his attention; for we are informed by
Boswell, his biographer, that “‘he never knew a man who relished
good eating more than he did; and when at table he was wholly
absorbed in the business of the moment.’ The doctor himself
says, in his usual quaint and philosophic style, ‘“Some people have
a foolish way of not minding, or pretending not to mind, what
they eat: for my part, I mind my belly very studiously and very
carefully; and I look upon it that he who does not mind his belly
will hardly mind any thing else.”
460 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
How perfectly correct and natural do these remarks appear to
us, when we reflect for a moment on the intimate sympathy and
peculiarly direct communication existing between the head and the
stomach! If the least irregularity in the natural functions of the
bowels takes place, with what rapidity is it followed by a propor-
tional degree of malaise at the very centre of life,—the brain!
In fact, the healthy operation of the whole natural economy is
dependent in a great measure upon the state of the stomach; but
the brain watches the actions of this organ with a most jealous
eye, and in most persons is the very first to strike the alarm at the
presence of gross or badly-cooked food; and it has been most
justly remarked that “he who would have a clear head must have
a clean stomach.” .
If such be the fact, (and no one certainly will dispute it,) how
necessary is it that we should not only regard the quality of our
food, but that we should have an eye to the proper preparation of
it by the cook before receiving it into’so important an organ as
the stomach! We do not now address our remarks to those whose
health is so robust, and whose habits and associations in life have
been such as to force them to remain happy and contented with
the coarsest fare, and whose stomachs consequently have attained
the vigor of an ostrich or the capacity of an anaconda; such in-
dividuals, we know full well, would naturally accuse us of over-
refinement and ridiculous nicety. Neither do we wish to encourage
or uphold in their effeminate opinions those delicate and epicurean
dandies who cannot enjoy a meal beyond the vile precincts of an
eating-house or the luxurious saloons of a club-room, or whose
pampered stomachs are never sated, save when tempted with all
the niceties that the markets can produce, artistically concocted
into savory stews, outlandish fricandeaux, greasy ragotits, high-
sounding fricassées, and dainty salmis.
Such fellows as these latter, “‘quibus in solo vivendi causa pa-
lato est,’’ whose brains, (what little they may possess,) as well as
their hearts, are located in their bellies, are objects rather of our
commiseration, and wholly beneath the notice of any sensible man,
THE ART OF COOKING GAME. 461
save that, like peacocks at the grand congregation of the feathered
race, they serve the purpose occasionally of adorning a dinner-
table, of amusing the good-natured host by their senseless fripon-
nerie, or perhaps, by the staleness of their wit and the dulness of
their speech, of setting off the more cultivated jeua-d’esprit of
some favored bon compagnon.
In fact, we have an utter abhorrence for a man in good health
who cannot “‘rough and tumble it” in perfect good-humor for a
few days when circumstances require it, whether it be to repose
one’s wearied limbs even upon a shaggy buffalo robe, under the
wide canopy of a starless heaven, or to stretch them on the soft
and downy feathers of a luxurious bed, surrounded by all the
gaudy trappings of an ambitious upholsterer; whether it be to sit
down to a mess of cold pork and brown bread, or to a round of
juicy roast-beef: in fact, a sportsman should be ever ready in all
cheerfulness to exclaim in the words of the ancient bard, ‘“Rure
meo possum quodvis perferre patique.”’ But, at the same time,
we must acknowledge, on the other hand, that we equally despise
an ignorant, low-minded fellow, who affects to prefer salt pork to
savory venison, or a barnyard duck to a Chesapeake canvas-back,
cr rotgut whisky to sparkling heidseck. Such a savage as this is
more fit for the negro quarter than the banquet-room of the polished
and refined.
The rational gratification of a natural appetite with such dainties
as a kind Providence, in his infinite goodness, has given us in this
world, cannot justly be called gluttony ; nor can a proper attention
or nice discrimination in serving them up be termed sensuality ;
as both the one and the other are the actual gifts of the Almighty,
—the different varieties of viands on the one hand to tempt our
palates, and the exquisite sense of taste on the other to enable us
to appreciate them when laid before us. We have observed
that those among our acquaintances who most frequently speak
discouragingly of the pleasures of the table, and most vociferously
disclaim all pretensions to what they significantly term good eat-
ing,—which, in truth, means nothing more nor less than having
462 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
good food cooked in a wholesome and sensible manner,—these same
individuals, we say, when seated at the festive board, are the very
foremost to find fault if the dishes are not served up in becoming
style, or rather in accordance with their own peculiar and some-
times outlandish notions.
What gluttony, forsooth, or sensuality either, is there in prefer-
ring a plain roasted potato to a boiled one? And pray, what glut-
tony or sensuality is there in preferring rich venison-soup to thin
mutton-broth, or a larded partridge to a young squab, or mellow
wine to tart cider?
Such differences as these are mere matters of habit or education;
and a cannibal may with equal propriety be termed a sensualist
when greedily devouring the tender flesh of a young infant, as
a refined epicure when warmly extolling the gamy flavor of the
leg of a grouse.
We do not profess to be a good cook, either practically, scienti-
fically, or theoretically, nor do we aspire to so enviable a distinc-
tion, although the magnus coquus of princely establishments has
always been an officer of considerable dignity ; indeed, so highly was
the profession esteemed among the luxurious ancients that a good
cook, we are informed, was termed hominum servatorem,—the pre-
server of mankind.* |
Notwithstanding all this high appreciation of culinary talents,
we, like many others, would greatly prefer leaving the branch,
with all its honors and practical operations, in the hands of those
who have made the sctentéa popine their particular study and
pursuit; though we cannot refrain from venturing a few remarks
in reference to the art, so far as it concerns the comfort of the
sportsman. We do not, however, consider the subject of cookery
(as some foolish persons would affect) beneath our notice, but, on
the other hand, regret exceedingly that our unavoidable ignorance
on this score will confine our observations within a very limited
sphere.
* See ‘* The Cook’s Oracle.”
THE ART OF COOKING GAME. 468
Nothing is more annoying—at least to us, and no doubt gene-
rally to our friends—than to toil after game all day, even if this
toil be our pleasure, and then have it totally ruined by the care-
lessness or ignorance of the cook; and, what is worse than all,
perhaps disappoint a score of anxious guests, whom, in the good-
ness of our heart, we have asked to be partakers of our feast.
We are not a cook, brother sportsman, nor are we a glutton;
but we may, perhaps, be a gourmand, or, in other words, an epicure,
in all that relates to the cooking and serving up of game. There
is, however, a wide distinction between these two characters. The
epicure, by the acuteness of his palate in the exercise of that sense
bestowed upon him by his Creator, is able to distinguish the good
from the bad. The other regards not the delicacy or the quality
of the food set before him, but rejoices alone at the quantity which
he may be permitted to stow away in his capacious, ever-craving
maw.
If a greedy, gormandizing fellow, unaccustomed to good living
and moderate drinking, chooses to overload his stomach at a din-
ner-table, surely such beastly conduct is no argument against the
rational enjoyment of eating in moderation, or against the seduc-
tions consequent upon good cookery and highly-seasoned food ; for
it is a well-known fact, as stated by Accum, that “‘ savages, whose
cookery is in the rudest state, are more apt to overeat themselves
than the veriest belly-god of a luxurious and refined people,—a
fact which of itself is sufficient to prove that it is not cookery
which is the cause of gluttony and surfeiting. The savage, in-
deed, suffers far less from his swinish excesses than the sedentary
and refined gourmand; for, after sleeping sometimes for a whole
day, having gorged himself with food, hunger again drives him
forth to the chase, in which he soon gets rid of the ill effects of
his overloaded stomach. Surely, cookery is not to blame for the
effects of gluttony, indolence, and sedentary occupations; yet it
does appear that all its effects are erroneously charged to the
account of the refined art of cookery.”
Although we may be willing to acknowledge ourselves in some
464 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
respects a gourmet, still, we do not think that our love of the
good things of this world could ever induce us, like Apicius, to
offer our guests a ragovit composed exclusively of the tongues of
2?
‘peacocks and nightingales,’”’ or even of “‘ partridges and reed-
birds ;’’ nor would we desire, like Vitellius, to serve up for our
brother, no matter how much beloved, a feast composed of two
thousand dishes of fish and seven thousand of poultry. Neither
is our taste so cultivated or refined as to hanker after the delicate
flesh of young asses or the womb of a pregnant sow,* as served
up on the festive boards of the luxurious Romans, or to relish the
leg of a young puppy, as greedily devoured by the curious inhabit-
ants of the Celestial Empire; nor is our palate so distorted that
we could ever fancy, as some of our friends affect to do, the trail
of a roasted woodcock or the contents of a snipe’s stomach.
Nevertheless, if put upon short allowance, we might be glad to
partake of any of the above dishes, as well as rattlesnake-
soup, whale-blubber, and train-oil, without at the same time merit-
ing the ignoble stigma of a glutton, since “‘necessitas non habet
legem.”
What, my delicate reader, would you think of a man that ate,
at one meal,
4 pounds of raw cow’s udder,
TOpeene “ raw beef,
Deane “* tallow candles,
Total, 16,
and washing the whole down with five bottles of porter? You
would naturally, and very justly, remark, ““What a hog! what a
cormorant!’ Strange as it may appear, however, such was the
meal of Charles Domery, when a prisoner of war at Liverpool ;
and, although allowed the daily rations of ten men, he was not
satisfied.
* «Non Hercule miror,
Aiebat, si qui comedunt bona, quum sit obeso
Nil melius turdo, vulvd nil pulchrius ampla.”
THE ART OF COOKING GAME. 465
It was not necessary that the science of culinary chemistry
should be brought into action to provoke an artificial appetite in
this individual: he was a glutton de facto. Nature made him
such; and nothing but the strongest food could satisfy his inor-
dinate cravings. !
Tn fine, with the sentiments of Kitchener, and in the words of
Accum, “‘the pleasures of the table have always been highly ap-
preciated and sedulously cultivated among civilized people of every
age and nation; and, in spite of the stodc, it must be admitted that
they are the first which we enjoy, the last we abandon, and those
of which we most frequently partake.”
“Cookery is the soul of festivity, at all times and in all ages.
How many marriages have been the consequence of meeting at
dinner! How much good fortune has been the result of a good
supper! At what moment of our existence are we happier than
at table? There hatred and animosity are lulled to sleep, and
pleasure alone reigns.” These are the words, and such are the
sentiments, of the illustrious Louis Eustache Ude, than whom no
more accomplished maitre de cuisine has ever lived.
466 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
TO SELECT GAME.
The sportsman will often find it to his advantage to know how
to select game, as well as to shoot it or cook it. We will, there-
fore, before entering more fully into the culinary department, give
him a few hints upon this subject, which he may turn to good
account as soon as a favorable opportunity presents itself.
There are three important points to be observed in the choice of
game:—namely, the weight or size of the bird, the age, and the
time of its being killed. )
Those birds which are plump and heavy are, of course, prefer-
able to those that are slim and light. A little practice will soon
teach the sportsman to ascertain the comparative weight of birds by
poising or rather weighing them on the first joint of his index finger.
Young birds are far better than old ones; their skin is much
softer, and tears easily, their bills pliable, their legs and feet
smooth and of a light color; their plumage is also lighter. The
hen bird is generally preferable to the cock bird, bemg more juicy
and tender.
When recently killed, the eyes are full and natural; the inside
of the mouth, tongue, and throat, looks fresh, the skin white, and
the whole body smells sweet.
If, on the contrary, the birds be old, they will be more tough
and far less palatable, their bills hard, horny, and worn off, their
legs rough and scaly, their feet ragged, and their nails short and
blunt. If killed some days, the eyes will be sunk, their fulness
gone, the inside of the bill, the tongue, and the throat, shmy and
fetid, the vent soft and of a dark-bluish color, the legs and feet
dry and husky to the touch.
So far as our experience teaches us, no kind of game-bird im-
proves by keeping over two or three days, although in cold weather
they may not be injured by it. Old and tough grouse (pheasants)
may certainly become more tender by age, and perhaps may eat
more palatably when in a state of half decomposition than when
perfectly fresh; but this argues nothing, as the flesh was not good
RULES FOR SELECTING GAME. 467
in the first place, and any change in its structure might, therefore,
be for the better.
We do not, however, say that game should be eaten as soon
after being killed as possible, for that would be wrong, except in
the case of some water-fowl; however, we are satisfied that snipe,
woodcock, plover, rail, and reed-birds, can be eaten with as much
relish on the day that they are shot as at any subsequent period,
and perhaps are never so good on the third day as they are on the
first; at least, such is our notion on the subject, and perhaps we
will be sustained in this opinion by some of our friends. We
have no fancy for putting into our stomach half-decomposed sub-
stances of any kind; much less have we so distorted, so depraved
a taste as to desire to partake of tainted, par-rotten game, or to
chew up the half-digested leeches, worms, and bugs often to be
found in their stomachs. Away with such mock refinement, such
silly affectation !
In cold weather partridges will keep better than any other kind
of game, provided they are hung separately and shielded from the
rain and sun; those that are to be kept for any time should be as
free from shot-wounds as possible. It is not necessary to draw
them or pick them; if picked, there will be much more evaporation
from the bodies of the birds, and they will consequently be far
drier. A pinch of charcoal put into their mouths will assist much
in keeping them sweet.
If frozen hard, game will keep for an indefinite period, but should
be eaten as soon as convenient after being thawed; the best plan
to thaw it for cooking is to hang it for a short time in the kitchen.
No kind of meat should be put to cook before it is thoroughly
thawed; otherwise, it will take double the time to cook, and at best
will be tough, stringy, and tasteless.
The preservative effect of frost on dead animal matter is very
remarkable, and is taken advantage of by the inhabitants of the
far-northern countries on a very extensive scale, as may be learned
from the following extract from Accum’s Culinary Chemistry :—
“There is annually held at St. Petersburg and Moscow what is
468 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
called the frozen or winter market, for the sale of provisions
solidified by frost. In a vast open square the bodies of many
thousand animals are seen on all sides, piled in pyramidal and
quadrangular masses: fish, fowl, butter, eggs, hogs, sheep, deer,
oxen, all rendered solid by frost. The different species of fish are
strikingly beautiful; they possess the lustre and brilliancy of color
which characterize the different species in a living state. Most of
the larger kinds of quadrupeds are skinned and classed according
to their species; groups of many hundreds are piled upon their
hind-legs, one against another, as if each were making an effort to
climb over the back of his neighbor. The motionless yet apparent
animation of their seemingly-struggling attitudes (as if they had
died a sudden death) gives a horrid semblance of life to this sin-
gular scene of death. The solidity of the frozen creatures is such
that the natives chop and saw them up, for the accommodation of the
purchasers, like wood.”
COOKING GAME.
The more plainly and simply game-birds of all kinds are cooked,
the better, save those of a sedgy or fishy nature. For these we shall
give especial directions for disguising their disagreeable flavor.
No great art of culinary chemistry, in our humble opinion, can
improve a plain roasted partridge, woodcock, or grouse. Never-
theless, to please the fancy or tickle the gustatory nerves of some
of our dainty guests, it may be necessary to resort to some other
more recherché method of serving them up.
To enumerate all the various modes of presenting game on the
table, as practised by those versed in cooking, either for the ambi-
tious purpose of exhibiting their skill in this branch or of whetting
the appetite of some sickly epicure ever in search of novelty,
would be at variance with the design of this chapter. We wish
rather to confine ourselves alone to those simpler methods within
the scope of every “family cook,”’ discarding all useless and com-
plicated dishes—such, in fact, as are within the comprehension
alone of a mattre de cuisine, and which, by-the-by, need be
served up but once in a lifetime.
TO ROAST GAME. 469
TO ROAST GAME.
To roast a partridge, grouse, or any other bird of the galli-
naceous order, is as simple a process of cookery as can be attempted.
The great error, however, which cooks most frequently commit in
the operation, is that they place the birds too near the fire when
first put down, and consequently cook them too fast, as well as too
much in some respects. The surface becomes scorched and burnt
before the flesh of the bird is actually warmed through; the juices
are dissipated, the flavor lost, and the natural tenderness of the
meat entirely destroyed. To remedy this evil, it will be necessary
to caution the cook to place the spit at first at a considerable
distance from the fire, so that the body of the bird will become
thoroughly heated before the browning of the surface takes place;
then to move it by degrees nearer the fire, so that the heat can
penetrate thoroughly through the entire mass.
During this process it will be necessary to baste the birds
occasionally with their own drippings or a small particle of melted
butter, with which may be put a trifling portion of salt and black
pepper. The drippings should be caught on pieces of thin and
crisp toast laid in the bottom of the pan: the crust of the bread
should be pared off, and one small slice will answer for each bird.
When the birds are nearly cooked, they may be lightly dredged
with flour, powdered cracker, or bread-crumbs, which, uniting with
the juices exuding from every pore, form a beautiful brown crust.
This process, before a brisk fire, should occupy about twenty
minutes for a partridge, fifteen minutes for a snipe, woodcock, or
plover, and twenty-five to thirty for a grouse ;—a little longer, per-
haps, for the last-mentioned bird, as it should be well done.
Serve them up each on a slice of toast, on hot dishes and well
covered.
This is the best and most simple method of cooking the greater
variety of game-birds, and certainly within the ability of any
‘“‘plain cook,” no matter how stupid she may be, or how lately
arrived from the ‘‘ Emerald Isle.”’
470 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
LARDED GAME.
Game-birds of all kinds, when skilfully trussed, larded hand-
somely, and roasted brown, present a very beautiful appearance
on the table; but we do not relish them so well as when served up
perfectly aw naturel. However, as before said, it is sometimes not
only expedient but agreeable to us to consult the palates of our
friends as well as to titillate their fancies by the variety of our
set-out. ;
The process of larding is a very simple matter,* and may be
learned from any cookery-book. The practice of it, however, upon
small game in particular, requires some judgment and a great deal
of nicety.
Before larding the birds, they may or may not be stuffed with
a small portion of grated pork, bread-crumbs, and butter: the
drippings ought to be received, as before, upon slices of thin toast.
Roasted in this way, birds are certainly more juicy than when
cooked perfectly plain, but are not, perhaps, so delicate to the
palate of a true epicurean sportsman, as they have lost a portion
of their natural gamy flavor, owing to the circumstance that the
fiesh and juices have become impregnated with the fat used in the
larding, as well as that in the stuffing.
Larded grouse are better than larded partridges, larded par-
tridges better than larded snipe, and larded snipe better than
larded woodcock.
* Larding-needles may be had at the furnishing or hardware stores.
BROILED GAME. 471
BROILED GAME.
Partridges, when split in the back and broiled over bright wood-
coals, with a dressing of butter, salt, and a trifle of pepper, are
very good; and this, perhaps, is the most convenient and safe way
of having them cooked when from home. The cook should be
careful not to burn or cook them too fast; the coals should not be
too hot, or rather the gridiron should not be allowed to rest too
near them, otherwise the surface of the body will be scorched black
before the interior of the flesh is warmed through. If the legs of
the gridiron are not long enough to protect the bird from the too
direct effects of the hot coals, it is very easy to remedy the evil
by putting pieces of brick under each leg.
TO SPLIT AND BROIL PARTRIDGES BEFORE A COAL-FIRE.
We recommend the use of the common beefsteak-roaster, which
sits erect before the grate: we have partridges cooked in this way
very often, and find them most excellent.
In all cases, game should be served up on hot dishes.
BOILED GAME.
Some epicures are very fond of larded and boiled partridges, as
well as grouse. We are not very partial to either, although we
can partake of both by way of variety, particularly if they be served
up with celery-sauce, made without the admixture, however, of any
kind of spice. )
Birds should be boiled in a covered pot lined with china or tin,
with just sufficient water to cover them nicely. They should be
removed from the hot fire as soon as they begin to boil briskly,
and allowed to simmer at the side till nearly done, and then per-
mitted to boil up briskly again for a few moments before removing
entirely. The lid should be raised now and then, and the scum,
as it comes to the surface, skimmed off: this precaution is very
necessary, as it adds much to the whiteness and consequent beauty
of the birds when served up. A few grains of rice thrown into
472 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
the pot will also assist in preserving the flesh white. The more
slowly birds are boiled, the better; in fact, the whole process
should be confined within a simmer: the more gradual the simmer,
the more tender will be the flesh. It requires a longer time to
cook game in this way than to roast or broil it.
OTHER WAYS OF COOKING GROUSE OR PHEASANTS.
Some persons have a fancy for cooking grouse, or rather basting
them, with a rich gravy made of butter, spice, and Port wine. We
have eaten them stewed in this kind of dressing, as well as stuffed
with a variety of herbs or forced-meat balls.
These made dishes are all very nice in themselves, and calculated
to please the fancy of many; but a pheasant stewed in Port wine
and spices is no longer a pheasant, and therefore does not suit our
palate; for, when we eat game, we like both to know it and taste it.
Pheasants are very passable when split in the back and broiled,
as recommended for partridges. There are other modes for cook-
ing grouse, which, however, are not worth referring to.
TO COOK A SNIPE, WOODCOCK, PLOVER, ETC.
As before said, the more plainly game-birds are cooked, the
better. This observation applies particularly to the two former
birds, as they each possess a rich gamy flavor which should be pre-
served unadulterated by any of the complicated arts of cookery.
A snipe may be larded and roasted; but a woodcock jamais—
jamais! We regard a larded woodcock entirely outré,—a positive
abomination. Yet there are some excellent cooks who will persist
TO COOK A SNIPE, WOODCOCK, PLOVER, ETC. 4738
in serving them in this way, as well as some would-be epicures who
affect to relish them.
As for the disgusting and filthy habit of cooking these birds
without taking out the gullet, gizzard, and stomach, we cannot
speak in sufficiently harsh terms of it: we consider such a practice
calculated rather to disgust even the depraved appetite of a can-
nibal than gratify the sensitive palate of a well-fed epicure. Those
who are fond of half-cooked leeches, partly-digested ground-worms,
tough viscera, and ugly insects of all kinds, can have them brought
on the table in this way. For our part, we have no great penchant
for such disgusting delicacies.
Audubon, in speaking upon this subject, very justly remarks,
‘‘Many epicures eat both snipe and woodcock with all their viscera,
worms and insects to boot,—the intestines, in fact, being considered
the most savory parts. On opening some newly-killed snipes, I
have more than once found large and well-fed ground-worms, and
at times a leech, which, I must acknowledge, I never conceived
suitable articles of food for man; and for this reason I have
always taken good care to have both snipes and woodcocks well
cleaned, as all game ought to be.”
Snipes are sometimes stuffed with herbs and baked. We con-
sider such a dish on a par with partridge-pie.
Snipes, as well as partridges, are often roasted with a slice or
two of fat pork wrapped around them, and then enclosed in sheets
of writing-paper well greased with butter or fresh lard. The result
of this process differs but little from that of larding.
Both snipe and woodcock require less time to cook than par-
tridges,—in fact, should be rather underdone than overdone. From
ten to fifteen minutes before a brisk fire is quite sufficient. When
cut into, the blood should be seen on the edge of the knife, other-
wise the juices of the bird have been dissipated by over-cooking.
This should never be the case either with a partridge or grouse.
The appearance of blood when carving these two latter birds is a
sure indication that they have been taken from the fire too soon,
and that the meat will consequently taste tough and raw.
474 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
TO COOK RAIL AND REED-BIRDS.
Both these birds are best plainly roasted and basted with a trifle
of butter, and served up on toast. Some of our friends speak in
raptures of broiled rail. We cannot say that we admire them
particularly when cooked in this way. Rail are a very juicy,
tender bird, and require no larding; when roasted on the spit,
enveloped in greased paper, they are very good. ‘They should
never be stuffed; they require about fifteen minutes to cook before
a brisk fire. They are better eaten fresh, and never improve by
keeping ; in fact, they are generally shot during the warm weather,
and when nothing short of an ice-house will preserve them longer
than a few hours. They spoil very soon, particularly after being
wet and pitched about in the bottom of the boat.
Reed-birds are best when roasted au naturel on the spit before
a brisk fire. If enveloped in buttered paper, they cook more
nicely, and there is less waste of the fat. Ten minutes is sufficient
before a bright fire.
We have eaten reed-birds stuffed with crumbs of bread, butter,
and a slight shade of herbs, and roasted in greased paper, which
are very palatable for a change. ‘They are also good when nicely
broiled ; some persons prefer them in this way to all others.
As to stuffing them with chopped oysters, or making them into
dumplings with a thin crust of dough, and boiling them, we have
nothing to say; and when any of our friends venture a word of
commendation in favor of such abominable dishes, audio sed taceo.
COOKING OTHER KINDS OF GAME.
There are a great variety of other kinds of game-birds, known
as fen, shore, or beach birds, which require very nice management
to make them agreeable to an epicurean palate.
When these birds are known to be sedgy, they should be cleaned
and rubbed with salt and corn-meal, and put to soak over night in
cool water slightly acidulated with strong vinegar. They should
then be stuffed with such herbs and spices as are best calculated to
COOKING OTHER KINDS OF GAME. 475
destroy, or rather disguise, their original flavor. If roasted and
basted, or rather stewed, with a rich dressing of butter, spice, and
Port or Madeira wine, their flavor is much improved; when served
up, they may have a few drops of lemon-juice squeezed over them,
to make the sauce more piquante. An old sea-gull, mud-hen, or
any other tough fen-bird, may be made quite tolerable by such a
process of cookery.
If, however, you should at any time be placed in a strazt for
something to eat, we would advise Hawker’s receipt for a ‘‘ good
mess,’ which may be made out of any thing in the way of a fowl,
whether a tough old dunghill-cock, a cackling hen, a screaming
gull, or a fishy dipper, as follows :—
‘Have a fowl skinned and quartered ;
Put it over the fire in a quart of cold waiter ;
Boil it full two hours.
Then add two ounces (or a handful) of pearl barley, (rice will answer ;)
Three blades of mace; about two dozen peppercorns, and
Salt to your taste:
Then let all boil together for one more hour.”
An onion, or any other kind of vegetable or strong herb, may be
added ad labitwm.
aM
ud) vi)
COOKING WILD DUCKS.
_HE only admissible way for cooking wild
fowl of every description is roasting on
the spit, with the exception, perhaps, of
teal, which may be broiled on the grid-
iron.
Those ducks that are fishy alone re-
quire any kind of stuffing; and, when
stuffing is necessary to render them
palatable, we consider a puddle-duck quite their equal, if not
superior.
Ducks ought to be roasted on the spit, and never baked in an
oven, as is too frequently done by careless and ignorant cooks.
Baking renders them dry, rank, and tasteless, while roasting
makes them juicy and tender.
Cooks are not generally partial to the cooking of game, as it is
oftentimes attended with a good deal of extra labor, (picking and
cleaning the birds, &c.,) and, if not closely watched, will deceive
their employers as to the mode of cooking it. They find it at
476 y
COOKING WILD DUCKS. 477
times much more convenient to put a couple of ducks in an oven
to bake than on the spit, owing to the low state of the fire or to the
circumstance that the spit is used for some other purpose far less
necessary. When this is done, the fowls are sure to be spoiled.
Ducks require but a short time to roast, and, when cut into,
from every pore should exude a rich and high-colored blood; this
will not be the case if the fowl be cooked too much, or baked in
an oven. ‘There should always be sufficient of its own drippings
to baste it with; if not, however, a little butter and a little Port
or Madeira will not in such cases harm them.
It will require about twenty-five or thirty-five minutes properly
to roast a canvas-back. It should be served up with fresh crisp
celery, potatoes mashed and baked, or plainly roasted.
Some persons like currant-jelly with these ducks. We do not;
nor do we relish them so well when half-roasted and finished on
the chafing-dish with jelly, &. We much prefer them perfectly
au naturel. Canvas-backs should neither be picked nor drawn
till a short time before they are to be cooked, nor should they be
soaked in water; in fact, they should not even so much as be
washed out after being cleaned. Other kinds of wild duck, less
delicate, may be picked and soaked in water two or three hours
before cooking, without injury,—rather with benefit.
A small onion, or a few small slices of pared lemon, put in the
inside of a strong fowl of any kind, will in a measure correct its
disagreeable flavor and render the flesh more mild to the taste.
The following receipt, taken from Hawker, will be found an
excellent sauce for all kinds of duck that require an artificial or
made dressing:—
Bortawanerorelaretine efectos tese seuss secshane escnt 1 glass ;
Sauce 4 la Russe* (the older the better).......... 1 tablespoonful;
Catsup (walnut or mushroom)................e0008 L re
emiomepunce. sia 0S), SAG oa aes 0d See his eaaledees 1 es
VETO MACON gE sob cpact ninco ena ec cat un snwiesineideyas ote 1 slice;
* See Francatelli’s French Cookery, Receipt No. 35. If these herbs are not at
hand, substitute others.
478 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Sina Wotm(larce) ssssactssldasenlccstecnnseesnsaeatanvenns 1 cut in slices ;
Cayenne) Peppers scsecns sas sees selseres she ebeinen=ceeeae 4 grains ;
IIGYOR Seana NO had aRRABeHan ste cionie acecODOCoseseaCoSd ne 1 or 2 blades.
To be scalded, strained, or added to the mere gravy which
comes from the bird in roasting.
FURTHER REMARKS ON THE SUBJECT OF COOKERY.
Small game are generally cooked without cutting off the head
or feet. Some persons are very partial to the brains. Indepen-
dently of this, the birds look far better with their heads on, and they
should never be removed by the cook.
Birds are far more tender if eaten immediately after being
killed than if kept over night and then eaten; if kept, however,
until the following or third day, they will most generally be as
good again.
Ducks, if to be eaten soon after being killed, may be improved
by burying them in the ground for a few hours.
As a general rule, thinly-sliced fried potatoes is the best accom-
paniment to game. They should be done brown and crisp; pota-
toes done @ la maitre d’hétel will answer in place of celery-sauce
for boiled game.
CELERY-SAUCE.
As we have recommended the use of celery-sauce with boiled
game, it may not be amiss for us, before going further, to give
directions for the preparation of it.
This sauce is the most palatable of sauces, and the only one we
consider admissible as a dressing for boiled game; some even go
so far as to recommend it for roasted birds; but we must confess
that we have no fancy or relish for it in this way.
Like all other nice sauces, celery-sauce requires some tact to
make it. The celery should be selected with care, washed nicely,
but not allowed to remain in water any time, for soaking it in this
way, aS is too often done, renders it tough, and destroys all that
brittleness which makes the plant so relishable; it should then be
CELERY-SAUCE. 479
pared,—not scraped or bruised, after the fashion of some ignorant
cooks; then cut it into small pieces and boil in a small portion
of water slowly, till quite tender; pour off the water through a
colander, and boil it, or rather simmer it, again for a few minutes,
with sufficient cream and a small particle of butter rolled in flour,
and a pinch of salt and pepper.
The bowl in which it is served should be warm; the sauce is to
be poured on a slice of toast at the bottom. Raspings or crumbs
of a French roll are also used in the same way, and answer an
excellent purpose.
The cook should be very careful not to scorch the cream by
putting it over a hot fire; it must be stirred gently while boiling.
This sauce, as before said, requires to be made with some tact, and
we cannot be too particular in our directions to the cook; for, if
not made exactly right, it is neither palatable nor admissible for
game. If burnt, which is the common error committed by stupid
cooks in making it, it should be consigned forthwith to the swill-
tub, as six drops of such detestable stuff would spoil the flavor of
a partridge or grouse.
If fond of spices, put in a little mace and a clove or two; we do
not, however, recommend it. A shallot or so, a bay-leaf, lemon-
juice, orange-peel, or a little parsley, might also be advocated by
some of our friends.
THICKENING FOR SAUCES OR GRAVIES.
The foundation of all sauces and gravies is the white and brown
thickenings of the French cookery-books. These thickenings are
indispensable to a well-organized kitchen, and no dinner can be
served up properly without their aid. They should always be in
the larder for use, and are made as follows :—
WHITE THICKENING.
Take a small lump of butter, the size of course in proportion to
the use you have for the thickening; melt it over a slow fire in a
tinned or glazed stewpan; then drain off the buttermilk, and mix
480 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
sufficient flour with the butter to make a thin paste, which keep on
the fire for ten or fifteen minutes, being very careful that it is not
scorched or colored; then set aside in an earthen jar for use.
BROWN THICKENING.
Take, as before, a small lump of butter, melt it slowly, get rid
of the buttermilk, and make the residue into a thin paste with
flour; then heat it gently over a mild fire until the whole mass
becomes of a light brown color, when it is to be removed and put
away for future use. ; ;
Both of these thickenings are useful in serving up game; the
latter, especially, is suitable for mixing with the drippings with
which roasted game is basted. These thickenings are the basis of
many other sauces, which the skilful cook, with a little instruction,
will soon learn to make subservient to her art.
POTATOES A LA MAITRE D’HOTEL.
Steam or boil small, firm potatoes in the usual manner; then
cut them into thin slices, and place them in a stewpan, pouring
over them a small cup of cream in which has been melted a small
piece of butter, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, chopped parsley,
and lemon-juice; toss them over the fire for a moment, and dish
them up piping hot.
VENISON-SOUP. 481
VENISON-SOUP.
The following receipt for making this most delicious of all soups
we concocted a short time since, and we trust our friends will find
it as palatable as we do. We are indebted to Frank Forester for
our first ideas on this subject.
Take—
Venison, cut into small pieces, and the fat all
PakkencOfbrads.dsicsascewanrat veux cauyeccdeeee ane catss 6 pounds;
WGaLeT on toons Aare vine celine sak cntet ce scueehaceneeatc aera 2 gallons;
OV OR car stancevscnsccooascanGeesusnst ctecvaransmrccconsine 2 dozen;
IWAIC OM aa ee eos cece copes ocak ca ca eR ON AC eee 4 blades;
Boil slowly 2 hours.
Then add—
Venison, cut into small pieces an inch or so
BIO MEDI YEsn 6 ee Beas seacoyconeaducabsccosec cacooa-eeceones 2 pounds;
Forced-meat balls.............2000 Reape ne Boeules 1 dozen;
Then boil 30 minutes.
Now add—
Waiyenne PePPels.cacsserencecs-cciececesensaaceyecseccotes 1 small pinch;
TEIENGIS (OG) 1) 818 ths tac coaechapseccn5 ses-ogoecuscocaRononas ys - con 1 :
aes caine uve ich vnstcle apa sudmciciswecteeuanaic woctevenststy 2
WemOnsOr, linte-FULCELsses sss ewsant noel sa anes-aesecene half wineglass.
The soup-bowls—for it should be served in bowls—to be set
before the fire, each contuining say half a pint of dry Port wine,
and a thin slice or two of bread, toasted, if you choose, floating in
it: the soup to be poured over the whole, each bow! covered up
and served hot when seated at the table. This soup is equally
good the second day.
Particular care should be had that the venison be quite fresh,
and not in the least tainted, otherwise the soup will have a harsh
flavor as well as disagreeable odor.
SPORTSMEN’S BEEF.
Take—
A large round of beef;
Naltpebresqatcwee oscaamnee ds. «ss eeeeenqiaarceretect «aces. 3% ounces ;
PARIS IC Clee dracec a votacseacas cu soee sedvedesitnialusewan a ecieins 1 ounce;
WAVCUH Cte cee sestecderssdsiecepascnseastertonses sese sacs 1 pinch ;
Rub in, and let stand 24 hours.
482, LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
Then rub in thoroughly—
SHU joo soso oronagodo Dotan a saroosoocnot aon syuea-onoccenbochnes several hau lfuls.
Put it by for ten days, turning it and rubbing in the salt every day or two.
Then put into a pan with—
Beek suets. sestescpeesteh -peuy-ernsinoednive: Sereionc > soon 4 pounds ;
Dredge it slightly with flour, and bake slowly for 4 or 5 hours.
We have tried it; and we are satisfied that, with a little attention,
it will keep during the whole of the cold weather. We also think
that we can answer for its pleasing the most fastidious palate, and
recommend it to our friends as an excellent and most convenient
article of relish to have prepared for general use or in anticipation
of a prolonged sporting-excursion. If the round is not very large,
decrease the proportions somewhat, and take less time to prepare
it. We met with this receipt in a very quaint and original book
from the pen of General George Hanger, of the British army; we
have altered it in some particulars, and, we think, for the better.
FOR COOKING HARES OR RABBITS.
Cut the hares into pieces.
The stewpan ought to be flat, so that every piece may touch the
bottom.
First, heat the pan; then put into it about half a spoonful of
lard; then place the pieces of hare into it so that every piece
touches the pan: do not cover it. -As soon as the hare begins to
brewn, turn the pieces and sprinkle over them two handfuls of
flour, with two or three whole and very small onions. This must
remain about five minutes over a moderate fire. Then pour over
it about a pint of boiling water; add salt, pepper, two or three
cloves, two or three allspice, and a very small portion of crushed
garlic, (say about the size of a pea,) two laurel-leaves, (such as come
in prune-boxes,) a small buneh of parsley, not cut apart, so that it
may be taken out when the dish is served up. Let the whole boil,
or rather simmer slowly, about one to one and a half hours. Then
pour over the whole from one-half to one bottle of good claret
wine, and continue to boil over a very moderate fire for two hours
longer, when it will be ready to serve.
COOKING HARES OR RABBITS. 483
Particular care is required not to have too much fire.
These proportions are for a dish of two hares. We are indebted
to a friend for the above receipt, and we owe him many thanks for
the opportunity he has thus afforded us of furnishing so desirable
a dish for our gastronomic readers.
Squirrels may be served up in the same style, and will be found
equally good.
*‘Nec sibi coenarum quivis temeré arroget artem,
Non prits exacta tenui ratione saporum.”
CHAPTER XXX.
SOME HINTS ON TAXIDERMY. THE ART OF OBTAINING AND
PRESERVING THE SKINS OF BIRDS.
T is often very important that the sports-
man should know something in reference
to the art of preserving and setting up
the game he loves so much to pur-
sue; for he may at any time, when a
long distance from home and far away
from help, come across some curious
specimen, a rara avis,—a white par-
tridge, a pied woodcock, or a mottled
snipe, for example,—the preservation of
which, for a place in his cabinet, would be a source of great
satisfaction as well as pride. All this can be accomplished with-
out any difficulty, provided the sportsman makes himself familiar
with the very simple modus operandi of skinning a bird and
the best plan of preserving the skin sweet till it is placed im
the hands of an artist more competent to finish the under-
taking.
The principal and most important object to be attained in the
preservation of a specimen, after we have shot it, is the protection
484
TAXIDERMY. 485
of its plumage. This is done by pursuing the following course :-—
If the bird is not shot entirely dead, the best and easiest plan to
relieve it from its sufferings, as well as prevent any further dis-
placement of its plumage by its painful struggles to escape from
our hands, is to squeeze it across the breast, or under the wings,
with the forefinger and thumb, but not with sufficient force to
break the bones.
A small particle of cotton or fine tow should then be placed in
the bill, to absorb any exudation that might run from the mouth
and come in contact with the feathers. If the wounds show
any disposition to bleed, they should also be lightly covered with
the same material, to protect the plumage, as it is often very diffi-
cult, and at all times requires very nice handling, to cleanse the
feathers from coagulated blood.
This done, the bird should be lightly grasped in the one hand
by the head, while the other is used in dexterously smoothing down
the ruffled plumage; it should then be carefully wrapped up in a
handkerchief or fine paper, and consigned to one of our spare
pockets till the close of the day’s sport. The following day or
evening will be quite time enough to commence the operation of
skinning, as the blood will not be completely coagulated till the
lapse of several hours after death.
The process of skinning birds will at first seem very difficult
and awkward to the novice; but we can assure him that a little
patience and perseverance will soon overcome all the imaginary
perplexities with which he surrounds the matter; and, before he
has finished his sixth specimen, he will be surprised to find how
easy a thing it is to skin a bird,—even far less troublesome than to
pull a rabbit out of his furry hide.
“In order to skin birds, we must pass a needleful of thread
across the nostrils, tie it underneath the inferior mandible, (leaving
the thread the length of the bird,) to prevent the blood from
coming out of the beak during the operation.
‘*We have before said that when a bird is killed we must in-
troduce a little cotton into its beak; we repeat this injunction, be-
486 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
cause the beauty of a mounted bird depends on the freshness of
its head; it is easy to repair and clean the soiled feathers of the
belly and back, but not those of the head without a great expense
of time.
‘“‘These precautions taken, we stretch the bird on the table, the
head turned towards the left of the operator; we divide the
feathers of the belly right and left with small forceps, pull out the
down which covers the belly, make an incision in the skin from
the commencement of the sternum or breast-bone, until beyond
the middle of the belly; raise the skin on one side by the forceps,
and separate it from the muscles with a scalpel, approaching as
near as possible to the wings; this done, we put a little floured or
powdered cotton on the skin and flesh, that the feathers may not
stick to them; we force up or push out the thighs within the body
of the skin, cut them between the femur and tibia in such a man-
ner that the former remains to be afterwards pushed back into the
skin. By the help of the scalpel and the fingers we detach the
skin as far as the rump, which we cut off. It is essential for this
part to remain attached to the skin to sustain the tail-feathers.
We then take the already uncovered part of the body with the
left hand, and continue to separate the skin from the two sides,
cutting some little tendons, which we find before we come to the
wings, with the scissors; we separate the wings from the trunk at
the junction of the humerus with the body, and restore them to
their proper place. We continue to skin the neck, thrusting the
head from within, and we uncover it, taking care not to enlarge
the opening of the ears, and, above all, to be particularly attentive
not to injure the eyelids in taking out the eyes, which are easily
picked out with closed points of the scissors; we replace the eye
with chopped cotton, with which we fill the orbits.
‘We separate the neck, take out the tongue, and carefully re-
move all the flesh which is between the two branches of the inferior
mandible. We enlarge the occipital hole, to extract the brain, by
means of an iron instrument resembling an ear-picker; and, to
finish cleaning out the inside of the head, we pass cotton and flax
TAXIDERMY. 487
into it several times. We must, during the operation, besprinkle
the humid parts with plaster of paris, or dry earth, from time to
time, to prevent the feathers from adhering to them and becoming
dirty, and also divide the feathers to the right and left, for the
same reason.
““We then take out the wings, cut them off at the second joint,
and, taking away the flesh, restore them to their place. This
operation answers for small birds; and we anoint the wings in the
parts which are destitute of feathers. We take away the flesh of
the thighs, always preserving the bones of the leg, and put them
back in their places.
“If the bird be of a larger size, we must carefully take away
all the muscles which adhere to the skin, as well as the fat; and,
if it has been killed by a gun, or holes are otherwise formed in the
skin, they must be properly sewed up within.
‘““We fix a piece of thread to the first joint of each wing, draw-
ing them together to the distance which they occupy when the bird
is in the flesh. This precaution, which does not appear to be of
great importance, infinitely abridges the operation; for, when the
bird is mounted, the wings place themselves, provided they are
properly tied within.” —WMrs. Lee’s “Taxidermy.”
The skins of some birds are far less elastic, after being dried,
than others, and therefore require particular care in their stuffing.
Those of the gallinaceous order, or game-birds generally, are very
contractile and non-elastic, and consequently require full stuffing
when green, to preserve them in their natural proportions, as it
will be found very difficult to stretch them after being dried, even
if submitted to the relaxing effects of steam, which softens their
entire structure more than any thing else.
The skins should never be hung up to dry, as the weight of
their bodies, if suspended by the head, will stretch their necks to
an unseemly length; a somewhat similar result will be effected
if they should be hung by the legs. The stuffed skins should be
laid out on a plain surface, with their heads and legs gently ex-
tended in a line with their bodies.
488 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
We saw a few days since a large box of pinnated-grouse skins
nearly ruined in consequence of having been ignorantly suspended
by the neck to dry. :
To preserve the skins from the attacks of insects, more espe-
cially in warm weather, it will be necessary to powder thoroughly
every portion of their inner surfaces with pure arsenic, or anoint
with some of the arsenical soaps or other standard compositions.
We prefer the free use of the arsenic itself: a weak solution of
corrosive sublimate is the most convenient, if not the very best, of
the liquid preparations. A teaspoonful of this poison to a quart
of alcohol is about the proper proportion. The whole skin can be
immersed in this solution without detriment, if it be deemed ex-
pedient.
With these few observations on this head, we will pass on to
another kindred subject, which we also purpose to treat in the same
summary manner; our object being merely to call the attention of
the intelligent sportsman to these matters, with the hope of creating
an interest in those animals which he pursues, beyond the mere
shooting of them,—an interest that will most likely ultimately
result in benefits to the cause of science. If this end is accom-
plished, our object is secured.
It could not be expected of us to enter largely into the subject
of taxidermy, for it would require a volume of itself; and, moreover,
there has been so much already written by those far more ex-
perienced than we could ever hope to be, that it would be absurd
in us to collate such matters for our present book; we prefer call-
ing the attention of our readers to the works of Mrs. Lee and
Captain Brown, either of which contains all the information that
one could desire upon the art of collecting, preparing, and mount-
ing objects of natural history.
Both of these manuals have gone through a large number of
editions, and contain a vast amount of information in a small
compass.
PRESERVING EGG-SHELLS. 489
PRESERVING EGG-SHELLS.
To make his cabinet more complete, a sportsman may have a
desire to preserve the nests and forms of the eggs of such game-
birds as he may meet with in his rambles over the country. The
only effectual method of doing this is “to blow the eggs,” as the
shells are so very porous that no plan, however skilfully devised,
will prevent the putrefaction, sooner or later, of their contents, if
we attempt to preserve them whole. Baking, boiling, slow drying,
immersion in spirits, varnishing, &c. have all been tried without
effect. To rightly “blow an egg-shell” is a process familiar to
every truant-playing young urchin, and it would therefore seem
unnecessary for us to enter into any detail upon so trite a subject;
however, we may not go far amiss in instructing some one of our
quiet readers who, perchance, never played truant or robbed a
bird’s nest in his youthful days.
The plan to be pursued is to make a hole in proportion to the
size of the egg in the point and another in the butt; shake the
egg well, or stir up the contents with a small wire or darning-
needle, so as to break up the yolk; then apply the butt-end to the
mouth and blow the contents out at the point. This done to your
satisfaction, immerse the point in a cup of water and suck up a
small portion into the shell; shake it well and blow it out; repeat
this operation till the egg is entirely free from all the white or
yolk that may adhere to its inside.
Eggs may also be blown by means of a small pipe constructed
as exhibited in the following diagram.
These pipes, made of glass, can be had of the apothecaries.
If made to order, however, either of silver or other suitable
metal, they will answer a better purpose and last a lifetime: the
glass ones are apt to get broken, and at all times require nice
handling, as the points are necessarily so delicate and fine that
the slightest knock will fracture them. With the use of this pipe
it is only necessary to make one hole in the side, shake the egg
for a moment or so, to break up the yolk, then insert the point (¢)
490 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
of the pipe, and suck the contents, by the application of the lips
to the point (a), up into the bulb (4); then withdraw it, and blow
the contents out by the same passage by which it was introduced;
repeat this as often as necessary, according to the size of the egg;
then suck up some water into the pipe and blow it into the egg;
shake it up well as before, and draw off with the pipe, thus leaving
the shell perfectly clean.
_To preserve more effectually from corruption the semi-mem-
branous lining that covers the whole internal surface of the egg,
the putrefaction of which would more or less affect the integrity
of the shell, it is recommended to introduce into the egg, by means
of the pipe, a small quantity of a strong solution of corrosive
sublimate in spirits, which, being shaken up for a moment or so,
may be drawn out as before. Care should be taken neither to
draw too hard nor too suddenly upon the solution, as we may thus
get a small portion of it in our mouth, which, by-the-by, will not
prove so agreeable as a sip of golden sherry. A very little prac-
tice, however, in the use of the pipe, will make the operator quite
skilful.
A handsome, semi-transparent appearance may be given to the
egg by putting on, with a camels’-hair brush, a light coating of
mastic or copal varnish. Colored eggs should be brushed over with
a solution of gum arabic, as the varnish may impair the color.
TO PRESERVE WINGED BIRDS FROM FATAL HEMORRHAGE.
If we should wing a bird, and wish to preserve its life, it will be
proper to examine it carefully, more particularly if it be a small
bird, to see if the hemorrhage is likely to prove fatal. If such be
the case, it will be necessary immediately to secure the blood-
TO PRESERVE WINGED BIRDS FROM HEMORRHAGE. 491
vessels by a ligature, which can be very easily accomplished by
examining the following drawing and adopting the means to be
described.
If the wound be high up, at the point e, pass a needle, armed
with a piece of waxed silk or thread, slightly under the skin, but
near to the bone just above the wound, and, drawing the two ends
together around the bone, tie them. The pressure thus exerted
by the ligature on the humerus will be quite sufficient to prevent
the passage of blood along the vessels that lie in close contiguity
with the bone. This done to our satisfaction, the bird may be set
at liberty, and the ligature carefully removed in the course of a
day or two.
If the wound be below the second joint, as at d, pass the needle,
armed as before, between the two bones and close up to d, and tie
the large bone c, which will thus include the bleeding vessels.
If at a, below the third joint, pass the needle, as in the prece-
ding case, between the bones, as near as possible to the small bone
6; then pass it again on the opposite side of the bone a; now bring
the ends together and tie them; this being done, the artery will be
included in the ligature.
TO PINION OR AMPUTATE A WING.
If we should wish to pinion or amputate any portion of the
wing, either on account of a fracture or to prevent the bird from
escaping, it will be necessary first to put on a ligature just above
492 LEWIS S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
s
the portion of wing to be taken off. This must be done according
to the directions laid down above. The flesh is then to be cut
down to the bone with a sharp knife, and the bone sawed through
with a very fine saw, at a point just above the fracture. If a saw
is not at hand, a pair of sharp shears may be used for cutting the
bone.
Nipping the bones with shears, however, is very apt to fracture
them and leave a ragged and uneven edge protruding from the
wound, which will prove very painful to the bird and retard its
recovery; the use of the small saw is far better. These opera-
tions, although very simple in themselves and such as any school-
boy can practise, still require some little skill and artistical cunning
to perform properly. |
Won
CHAPTER XXXI.
GENERAL HYGIENIC REMARKS.
“The first physicians by debauch were made;
Excess began, and sloth sustains, the trade.
By chase our long-lived fathers earned their food;
Toil strung the nerves and purified the blood;
But we, their sons, a pampered race of men,
Are dwindled down to threescore years and ten.
Better to hunt in fields for health unbought,
Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught.
The wise for cure on exercise depend:
God never made his work for man to mend.”
ATMOSPHERIC VICISSITUDES.
PORTSMEN should guard as far as pos-
sible against the ill effects arising from
exposure to the various atmospheric vicissi-
tudes inseparable from their pursuits.
The clothing should be adapted to the
season in which they hunt and the par-
ticular sport in which they are engaged;
if the weather be warm, a heavy coat is a
great encumbrance, and occasions much unnecessary fatigue; on
the contrary, if the weather be cold and boisterous, a light coat
493
494 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. .
would be equally inappropriate, and expose the wearer to a
catarrhal affection, or perhaps an attack of rheumatism.
We cannot be too particular in this respect, although many old
veterans may laugh at our remarks, as tending perhaps to effemi-
nacy, and say that such precautions are suitable only for ‘dandy
sportsmen,” but quite beneath the notice of those accustomed to
braving all kinds of atmosperic changes while in pursuit of game
either by land or water, and perfectly regardless of heat or cold,
wind or rain. To these we reply, in a hackneyed but nevertheless
appropriate phrase, Chacun d@ son gott; at the same time we
do not deny that there may be some who can brave all these
extraordinary exposures, without apparently suffermg any par-
ticular inconvenience at the time; but we may recollect, also, that
many have passed through the impending dangers of a long and
arduous campaign, and come out from its perils unscathed, perhaps
to die from the prick of a needle or the scratch of a rusty nail.
Thus it may be with some of those who ridicule such precauticns
as every sensible man should take to ward off the bad effects of
imprudent exposure to the changeable and trying climate of our
Northern and Eastern States.
“‘An ounce of precaution, at all events, is worth a pound of
cure;” and no sportsman will do himself any harm by attention to
the few hygienic rules that we are about proposing for his future
comfort. He will rather derive much benefit from them, and be
able at an advanced age to exclaim,—
‘cTemperance, joy, and repose,
Slam the door upon the doctor’s nose.”
If wet after returning home, the clothing should by all means
be changed as speedily as possible, and, if necessary, a little warm
spirits may be taken. A cup of hot tea or coffee will often answer
every good purpose, especially with those unaccustomed to the
stimulus of strong drink. Nothing is more apt to produce a
catarrhal or rheumatic affection than the pernicious habit of re-
maining in wet clothes after coming from the field, particularly
the careless and common practice of keeping on wet stockings.
STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 495
Off with them at once, or your joints will ache long before you
have seen twoscore and ten, and the sports of the field will no
longer hold out any charms for your rheumatic limbs. Do not sit
nodding and toasting your wet feet before the blazing fire, but off
with those uncomfortable appendages to your lower extremities,
and replace them with dry ones.
OVERHEATED.
When overheated from extraordinary exertion, avoid placing
yourself in a draught of air, and shun the almost uncontrollable
desire hastily to quench your burning thirst with the crystal waters
of some sylvan stream that bubbles seductively at your feet; as
a sudden checking of the perspiratory functions by these means
often produces the most serious consequences, and death itself has
followed in the track of such imprudence. Do not be tempted, no
matter how great your fatigue, to remain quiescent for any time,
while in a state of free perspiration, in a damp or wet place; do
not sit down to rest your wearied limbs, but keep in gentle motion,
until your skin has assumed its natural temperature, and then you
may quaff freely and rest in safety. A professional acquaintance
of the author, a few years since, fell a victim to his own folly by
going into a damp cellar, and remaining for some time, by way of
cooling himself during an excessively hot day in summer.
If hot or thirsty, mix a little wine, spirits, or vinegar,—the latter
if you be a teetotaler,—with the water before drinking it: this
precaution will counteract any bad effects arising from partaking
of the fluid when in an excited state. It is also well to bathe the
wrists and temples before drinking.
STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
There is certainly a vast difference between the air of the moun-
tains and that of the low, marshy districts of our country. The
former is pure and healthy, while the latter is corrupt and often
poisonous. The one contains all the natural constituents for sup-
plying the respiratory functions with that food so essential to their
496 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
well-being, while the other is tainted with the germs or exciting
causes of numerous epidemic and endemic affections.
Therefore, if the sportsman should visit the malarious districts
during the season of these poisonous exhalations, it behooves him
to be extremely cautious how he exposes himself to their delete-
rious influences. He should not, in the first place, be too eager to
sally forth to the fields before the morning mists are absorbed by
the benign rays of the sun and all the malarious effluvia wafted off
by the gentle morning breezes. Nor should he toil too much in
the heat of the day, so as to enervate his frame to such an extent
as to destroy the equable balance of health, and thus render his
system more susceptible to the poisonous malaria engendered
around him. Nor should he permit his love of sport to beguile
him to remain out in the field after Father Sol has dipped below
the horizon; otherwise, the evening’s fog may shortly treat him to
an unfriendly “shake.” But, above all, he should avoid sleeping
in malarious districts with open windows. If the weather be chilly,
have a fire, if possible, in your bedroom, or fumigate it thoroughly
with cigar-smoke before retiring: we say cigar-smoke, as this is
generally the most pleasant mode of fumigation to which a sports-
man has it in his power to resort. In the absence of this, however,
have recourse to the burning of paper or rags, or adopt any other
method that the ingenuity of the party may suggest. A little
brown sugar or a handful of feathers thrown on a hot shovel will
assist materially in disinfecting a sleeping-apartment in a ma-
larious region.
The exhalations of a noxious country are all destroyed by the
cold weather, and we may then visit those districts which are quite
unapproachable during the spring and summer months, owing to
the existence of this aeriform substance, termed “‘miasma,”’ that is
sure to fix upon a stranger who is so imprudent as to venture there
in the sickly season.
DIET AND DRINK. 497
DIET AND DRINK.
‘¢With relish would you taste your rich repast?
"Tis appetite must make that relish last;
If the great orator did right to say
That eloquence in action, action lay;
And will you ask me, Appetite comes whence?
A fortior?, I should answer—thence.
You want—what you may think an idle notion—
Perpetual exercise! perpetual motion!
A substitute for bread, your poorer neighbor;
But you require a substitute—for labor!”
“Hat and drink with moderation, if you wish to live long,” is a
saying not less applicable to sportsmen than to other persons; but
to quaff lightly is absolutely necessary, not only for the comfort
but for the success of the shooter, as much depends upon his
temperance in all things appertaining to the bottle. It is im-
possible, as all will grant, (old topers not excepted,) that any one,
no matter how hardy he may be, can take the field with a steady
hand and sure eye on the morning following an evening’s debauch;
we will use even a milder term, and say after a night’s frolic.
Laying aside the headache and the general malaise that most
usually attend excesses of this kind, the nervous system, even in the
most robust, must suffer more or less from the reaction that takes
place on such occasions; and the muscular system, sympathizing
with it in its derangement, renders the whole vital apparatus unstrung
and unfit for arduous duty, such as the sports of the field require.
These conclusions are so evident that it requires no argument
to support them; and we suppose no one will deny that such are
the inevitable results of any excess in drinking.
No drink insures better health, and produces a more equable
tone throughout the whole system, than the exclusive use of un-
adulterated water,—nature’s gift,—the only beverage to which all
animated creation instinctively resorts to quench the natural
cravings of thirst.
A fondness for other fluids, especially vinous liquors, is the
effect of education and habit, as few persons like the taste of
any description of spirits the first time they venture to apply
32
498 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
their lips to the brimming bowl; moreover, there never was a
drunkard made a sot in a week; the dreadful vice is the conse-
quence of a long and obstinate use of these liquors, which actually
at first were very obnoxious to him. Water is the best solvent of
all food taken into the stomach, and there is no drink that favors,
or rather assists, the digestive apparatus so much, in a state of
health, in the performance of its duties. It should therefore be
used in preference to all other beverages by the sportsman, as well
as by all others who wish to live to an advanced age. It is a well-
known fact that all those individuals who have attained a great
age were and are water-drinkers; and it is seldom that we hear
of an inebriate, or even of what are termed moderate drinkers,
arriving at old age free from chronic affections.
If, however, it be necessary, either from habit or the peculiar
condition of the constitution, to take a ‘little something” occa-
sionally during our excursions, let that little be of the very best;
and, in order to insure this, carry it along with you.
Avoid, by all decent means, partaking of the poisonous drugs,
called spirits, that are so generally found at the bars of our country
taverns. Such liquors, most frequently, are not fit even to bathe
the feet in, let alone putting into your stomach. A dose or two
of such trash is often sufficient to upset a temperate man for days.
To avoid the necessity of having recourse to this vile stuff, in case
of sickness or otherwise, take, as before recommended, a small
store of good spirits along with you, as a part and parcel of your
necessary ammunition; but, as before observed, consider it as a
medicine, only to be used when circumstances demand it.
It is often very difficult, either from motives of politeness, or of
actual policy on the part of the sportsman, to avoid drinking at
the bars of country taverns; in such cases, take as sparingly as
possible of the liquor, and largely of the water, and then take as
little of the abominable mixture as you can well get off with. We
have more than once been placed in this unfortunate position, but
have always succeeded in extricating ourselves by a little manceuv-
ring, without suffering from an overdose of the nauseating drugs.
SLEEP. 499
SLEEP.
It is absolutely necessary that the wasted forces of the body
should be restored by refreshing sleep. The amount of sleep
should be proportioned to the fatigue undergone; therefore, after
a hard day’s hunt, retire as soon as possible, and do not sit dozing
and nodding before the fire. Rest, so natural to all animal life,
will soon restore the wearied functions to their normal state of
existence, and impart fresh vigor and strength to the exhausted
frame of the ardent sportsman, and thus make him ready for the
pleasures or business of the succeeding day. Sleep acts asa balm
to his excited system, and restores that just equilibrium of the
vital functions so much deranged by long-continued efforts in
search of game. Without a fair quantum of healthful repose, it
is impossible for any one to pursue the sports of the field with that
zest and ardor that every lover of the gun and dog should possess.
Sleep, however, to be beneficial, should be moderate and not
indulged in to excess, but, as before observed, should be regulated
by the amount of labour undergone. Excess of sleep relaxes the
system, and even enervates the whole physical as well as mental
apparatus. Less sleep is required in warm weather than in cold;
and Nature herself seems to have regulated this fact by giving us
the long nights of winter for sleep, and the short nights of summer
for siestas only.
Some individuals require much more sleep than. others. Weare
satisfied with six or seven hours under ordinary circumstances, and
are led to believe that most persons can get along with a similar
quantity. It is astonishing with what little sleep some persons of
active disposition accustom themselves to, either from necessity or
habit; while, on the other hand, many slothful drones, whose whole
time is spent in strutting about like turkey-cocks up and down our
principal streets, are not satisfied with double and treble—nay, even
quadruple—the repose that many of our most active citizens
require.
It is well known that many of the most distinguished com-
500 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
manders who have made the earth tremble with their great deeds
allotted but two or three hours of the twenty-four to sleep, even
during the fatigues of the most exciting campaigns. Napoleon and
Frederick the Great are both instances of this fact.
GALLED HEELS.
If by any mishap your heel should get galled, the inconvenience
can often be remedied by adopting the plan recommended by
Hawker, but which we, as well as many others, adopted before
reading it in the colonel’s work:—Take a small particle of gold-
beaters’ skin, and apply it over the wounded surface; when this is
perfectly dry, and adheres well without wrinkling when the foot is
set in motion from the ankle-joint, take a piece of court-plaster cut
perfectly round, or, what is better, stamped with a wadding-punch,
so that there be not the slightest irregularity or inequality on its
circumference; wet it with the tongue, and, holding it to ‘the fire
for a moment, apply it directly over the gold-beaters’ skin. Hold
the foot still till the court-plaster is perfectly dry, then rub it over
with a little sweet-oil, tallow candle, or any other kind of grease
more convenient; this latter application repels the moisture and
consequently prevents the loosening of the plaster. A galled heel
thus treated, with a change made in our boots, need give us no
trouble, as the plaster will stick as tightly as possible through a
whole day’s hard work, if it be not immediately rubbed with a con-
tracted heel, which will not allow the foot to go down into it, but
keeps it seesawing up and down at every step we take.
If we should suffer from having our ankles occasionally galled
with a wrinkle in the boot, as we have suffered more than once, the
plan proposed by Hawker will remedy the evil. We have tried it
and found it to answer a good purpose. It is in fact the only
plan to pursue. In the absence of the pad, one’s own ingenuity
can construct something analogous. The colonel says, ‘‘Get a
square silk pad similar to a kettle-holder. Then have sewed on
the opposite corners of it pieces of list long enough to go twice
around and tie on the ankle. No wrinkle of a water-boot can
CORNS. ; 501
then cut or bruise your ‘tendo-Achillis,’ or back-sinew, provided
you secure the pad firmly by putting it over your common stock-
ing and under your yarn stocking.”
CORNS.
As writers on sporting-subjects, even those of the highest rank
in this department of literature, have deigned to speak upon the
subject of corns, it may not be deemed amiss in us to follow the
precedent, although we may not be able to add much that is new
upon the subject.
A corn is nothing more than a portion of hardened cuticle,
generally produced by the pressure of the boot, or of one toe
against another. Those formed by the latter cause are usually
the most painful and difficult to be treated, as they are situated
between the toes; and it requires much management to relieve
the pressure sufficiently long to effect a cure, so long as the sufferer
is obliged to incase his foot in a boot.
These formations on the feet are called corns, from the circum-
stance that a piece can be picked out very like a corn of barley,
which fact no doubt many of our readers who are troubled in this
way have observed. The curing of corns, in these modern days
of improvement and charlatanism, has been promoted into a science
by some few pretending worthies who have sprung into existence
from the Lord knows where, and taken to themselves the high-
sounding title of chiropodist to his or her majesty’s big toe, we
502 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
suppose! These fellows vaunt themselves much upon their skill
in the treatment of these deformities, and even produce certificates
from respectable sources in commendation of their great success,
which certificates are oftentimes obtained from the various parties
without proper consideration or the lapse of sufficient time after
the operation to judge of its real efficacy. The public, however,
is perhaps better able to judge of the merits of these scientific
operations than we are; nevertheless, as far as our experience
teaches us, these ignoramuses, with their high-toned titles and
great pretensions, are a set of bunglers, and the most of them
entirely unworthy of confidence. Some of them even go so far
in their charlatanism as to succeed in gulling their victims into the
belief that there is some great secret attached to the operation of
extracting a corn, as they term it, and make a great ado in the
matter, as it were to confuse the looker-on and involve their clumsy
operation in a certain degree of mystery. All we have to say of
these impudent humbugs is, that ‘‘the less our readers have to do
with them the better.”
If, reader, you have been foolish enough, or rather vain enough,
to wear a tight boot in order to exhibit the beautiful proportions
of your foot, and consequently have thus produced corns and
brought upon yourself a good deal of suffering, the first thing to
be done towards relieving yourself of these little tormentors is to
call on an expert disciple of Saint Crispin and order forthwith a
pair of easy, non-pinching boots.
This being done, procure some soft chamois-leather, and cut
with your wadding-punch several pieces of it; through the centre
of these pieces punch again another hole still smaller with a large-
sized shoemaker’s punch: this hole should be about the size of the
corn we propose to operate on.
These pieces of chamois may now be stuck together with a little
thin glue or any other kind of strong paste, and as many thick-
nesses used as will be necessary to protect the corn from the
pressure of the boot when it is laid over it. The under surface,
or that part of the chamois-pad to be applied around the corns,
CORNS. 5038
should be spread with diachylon-plaster, (to be obtained from any
apothecary,) and, when warmed at the fire, is to be nicely adjusted
over the corn in such a manner that the hole in its centre will
come immediately over the corn, and thus protect it entirely from
the direct pressure of the boot and consequently permit the patient
to walk with ease. This application will oftentimes not require
readjusting for several days, and, if persevered in for a short time,
the corn will entirely disappear. If the corn is between the toes,
something of the same sort must be contrived for its relief. We
suffered for several months with one of these formations in this
situation; and we must confess that the treatment of it tried our
patience and exhausted nearly all our skill before our efforts were
crowned with success. We have heard of many empirical and old
women’s applications for the cure of corns, but do not believe that
any one of them ever performed a cure if the primary cause of
the deformity was not first removed,—that is, ‘the tight boot.”
This being done, any one of them may without difficulty effect a
speedy cure.
The following recipe, picked up we know not where, we have
used successfully on several occasions in the cure of corns, and
therefore can recommend it with some degree of confidence :—The
corn should be pared as close as possible, and the chamois-pad
applied as above directed, and the mixture put on with a camels’-
hair pencil, every other evening, for a week or ten days; the pad
should then be removed and the foot soaked in hot water, and the
sorn again pared of all the softened cuticle that will come off
without using any great effort or producing pain; the pad may be
again applied and the mixture used as before. This will generally -
be sufficient to remove the enemy.
B.—Tincture of iodine...............00 Bil;
POGUED OF MNO. sence ee ee ee eee grs. X11;
Chloride of antimony............... Biv.
An excellent corn-salve, put up in little tin boxes, may be ob-
tained from the great herb depdt in Dock Street. It appears to
504 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
be of about the same consistency as the plaster known as Bur-
gundy pitch. It softens the corn, and causes it to peel off.
Hawker furnishes the following recipe, which he recommends
strongly. We have never had occasion to try it:—
“¢R .—Mercurial plaster ;
Diachylon-plaster, with resin;
Diachylon-plaster................. Aa, 3ij;
Dugarotmeadsnanc.cnscscess OTS. XX.
All mixed together and spread on leather.
“‘ Apply a piece of this plaster for three or four days. Then
soak the foot, and rub the corn with a piece of pumice-stone.
Again repeat the plaster, and the corn will soon disappear.
‘“‘N.B.—The corn never to be cut.”
TREATMENT OF A FALL, SPRAIN, BLOW, OR BURN.
If the sportsman, by any one of those mishaps incident to his
pursuit, should meet with a fall and consequently sprain his
ankle, wrist, or any other of the articulations of his body, the best
and most convenient remedy, and one nearly always at hand, is
the application of cold water, which should be poured on the
injured part in a continuous stream for half an hour or more imme-
diately after the accident. Ifthe sufferer can get near a pump or
by the side of a small waterfall, and place the limb directly under
the stream, so much the better; otherwise, he will have to content
himself with pouring the water over the parts from his hand or
sporting-cup.
By pursuing this plan the pain will be diminished, the swelling
prevented, and the inflammation of the parts powerfully opposed.
The operation, however, to be of much advantage, should be com-
menced as soon after the accident as possible, and persevered in
for a long time. The colder the water the better. The limb
should not be used for some time after the accident,—in fact, so
long as it feels tender and weak; otherwise, the cure will be
retarded to an indefinite period. Sprains, apparently of the most
trifling character, are sometimes attended with the most serious
TREATMENT OF A FALL, SPRAIN, BLOW, OR BURN. 505
consequences, perhaps laming the party for several months.
Those affecting the ankle are the most troublesome and require
great attention.
On one occasion, some time during our college life, we rather
officiously proffered to hand a country-lassie from her carriage,
which feat, by-the-by, she could have performed with far more
ease, grace, and elegance, without our assistance, and perhaps have
jumped clean over our head besides, if we had desired her so to
do, or, rather, had bantered her upon her want of agility. The
ground was slippery, with a high pile of snow on the side-walk
directly in front of the vehicle. In her over-anxiety to grasp our
extended hand, or rather in our great desire to support her delicate
frame, she neglected freeing her garments from the projecting
step, and the consequence was a trip up, and down she came on
top of us with a perfect rush, knocking us over and burying our
head and face almost a foot under the snow. In an instant she
sprang to her feet, shouting and laughing at the top of her voice,
at the same time plying us with handfuls of snow, as a reward, we
presume, for our awkwardness. Without any complaint whatever
she walked or rather ran into the house, standing a few rods from
the street. In the course of half an hour or so she felt a slight
pain in her ankle-joint, and discovered that the parts around were
swollen. Little attention, however, was given to the matter that
day.
On the following morning the ankle and foot were enormously
swollen and painful; on the next day the swelling increased, and
the inflammation was very great; and so it continued for days, and
weeks, and months, and the upshot of the occurrence was a rigid
confinement to the house for about nine months, with the dread at
one time of losing the whole foot; and after the lapse of two years
she had not entirely recovered the use of her limb, (so she informed
me,) although we can vouch for her being now able to cross over,
back to back, lady’s chain, right and left, during a whole winter’s
evening, without ever refusing a single proposition to dance from
the country beaux.
506 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
After the application of the water, and the limb being at rest,
it will be well to bathe or rather gently rub the parts with some
kind of opodeldoc. Sweet-oil, goose-grease, laudanum, spirits of
camphor, hartshorn, brandy, alcohol, rum, whiskey, &c. &c. are
the bases of all the mixtures known under the term opodeldoe.
Any one or two of these substances, or all of them, may be em-
ployed. For the purpose of friction, the mixture should be strong
enough to produce a smarting sensation and impart a certain de-
gree of redness to the skin when rubbed in. Brandy and salt is
a good application for this purpose, and can be obtained with con-
venience at almost any place.
This done, the parts may be bathed or kept wet with a solution
of sugar-of-lead, made with equal parts of water and vinegar. If
the limb, in spite of all these precautions, should be painful and
continue to swell, it will ease it very much to apply a large poul-
tice of flaxseed, corn-meal, onions, &c. If it gets worse, send for
a doctor, if within a hundred miles, and he will order the joint to
be leeched and prescribe a dose of salts and magnesia.
Perfect rest to the limb is of the greatest importance, and with-
out it no treatment will produce a cure. If the ankle is the affected
joint, the foot should be kept up on a pillow, and never put to the
ground till free of pain. A blow or bruise may be treated pretty
much in the same way.
The following lotion for sprains and bruises we give as recom-
mended by an old English sportsman and soldier, — General
Hanger. The reason why we give this old-fashioned recipe in
preference to any other of more modern date is that we adopted
it several years ago as a kind of family cwre-all, for man and beast,
and found it to answer a most excellent purpose.
oO PINUS OL. WINES). ccecceerevenest Jas cus acces eremenee ee 3viij ;
Gum/eamphori. ae en tote ile
Spirits) ofeturpentinte 448 \sess.napeeees oe teee eaae es Sig
Spirits Of.salamimoniaese: on. 2c. seyes-eceaeeee eee Sis
Oillohonriganum.c1. seco, «ae ecee en enee cs ncae ecm ek 388;
Mian dl aint esa Sas eae ae RN le Bye
BURN.—WOUNDED EYE. 507
Dissolve the camphor in the spirits of wine first, then add the
other ingredients. To be rubbed in with the hand, for a quarter
of an hour, several times each day. This mixture will be found
very efficacious in the case of men, women, children, horses,
dogs, and cattle. If the surface of the wound be excoriated, it
will not do to apply this mixture directly to the spot, as it will
cause too much pain; it may be used, however, on the parts ad-
joining.
BURN.
The best application to a fresh burn is raw cotton dipped in
sweet-oil or molasses; lime-water and sweet-oil also make an ex-
cellent dressing.
WOUNDED EYE.
If a bug, seed, or twig, should fly into the eye, it ought to be
removed as soon as possible. If you have a companion along,
make him explore the eye thoroughly till he gets it out, whatever
it may be, with the corner of a handkerchief; else you will be
tormented all day with it, and the eye will become irritated and
inflamed from its presence. A small seed will sometimes bury
itself in the linmg membrane of the lids, and remain there for
hours if not removed by a skilful hand; to do this, it will be neces-
sary to take a small pencil-case, or any smooth article about the
same dimensions, in the left hand between the forefinger and
thumb, (provided our patient’s right eye is affected,) gently press
the pencil lengthwise against the lower part of the lid, at the same
time seizing the eyelashes with the forefinger and thumb of the
right hand; with a dexterous motion the lid is everted, and its
whole surface can be examined. This operation may appear diffi-
cult to the reader; but we can assure him it is very simple, and
can be performed by any one with a little practice.
Bathing the eye in cold water will often remove particles that
may have blown into it, as well as afford considerable relief after
the removal of such substances. The eye, during the evening,
508 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
should be protected from the heat of the fire and the glare of the
candle, not by bandaging it wp, as some foolish persons would sup-
pose, but by shading it with a broad-brimmed hat, or, what is
better, sitting with the back to both. A bandage will heat the
eye and increase the inflammation. :
The following is an excellent collyrium to be used in slight
inflammation of the eye arising from wounds, colds, and similar
causes.
B.—Vinegar .. weesseseeeee-ees ssaedouswan one teaspoonful.
Tuatrdanway <a las: crs naeadacee Vadbnbe thirty drops.
Water ........ PO BAe ae: ode cen ater ..e-. eight teaspoonfuls, °
This preparation can be had at all times, as there is hardly a
family in any part of the country that has not 4 little laudanum
with which to dose a squalling child or to cure an attack of cholic.
SORE THROAT.
If the throat should feel sore, from exposure to wet feet or any
other of those numerous causes to which all sportsmen are open
during their excursions, have recourse to the following gargle,
which we have used over and over again with perfect success
in such cases. We have also recommended it frequently to our
friends with like results :-—
e-——Barley-water.s...50.0.c-vcessencseasecedeerel two and a half teacups;
TOM Gy dees SMA AS Naka ta SALA nena deal two tablespoonfuls ;
WAI aE eels cisia se eal ema cepancietnee oe four tablespoonfuls ;
Timichune OigmiyED ls: Mees se cuees eens three teaspoonfuls.
Mix, and use frequently.
If these ingredients cannot be obtained, take equal quantities
of vinegar and water with a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper, and
gargle. The throat should be rubbed with hartshorn, oil, and
laudanum; even goose-grease will help.
TO STOP HEMORRHAGE.
If by any accident an artery should be opened in any part of
the limbs, the bleeding is very easily arrested by tying a hand-
TO TELL THE AGE OF A DOG. 509
kerchief around the limb; it should be drawn tightly, and answers
better if a knot is put in it, which is to be placed directly over the
course of the bleeding vessel. By this means the pressure will be
exerted more directly upon it. This bandage should not be re-
moved till a surgeon is present.
All the principal bloodvessels run on the inside of the limbs, and
can be easily discovered by the pulsation.
TO TELL THE AGE OF A DOG.
It just occurs to us how ignorant many of our friends are as to
the mode of telling the age of a dog; we therefore give in this
place a few hints on the subject.
Take, for instance, a puppy at one year old; open his mouth,
and examine his front teeth; take no heed of the side or jaw-teeth,
save to admire their ivory-like appearance.
These front teeth,—or, more scientifically speaking, these in-
cisors,—both in the upper and lower jaw, will be found jagged and
uneven: this appearance may be termed the marks of the dog.
The age of a dog may be determined by these marks with the same
degree of certainty with which a jockey guesses at the age of a
horse. These marks continue longer in the upper teeth than they
do in the lower, and the jagged, uneven appearance noticed in the
pup is half gone at the age of three or four years; when it has en-
tirely disappeared and all the front teeth have become worn
smooth and even, the dog is nearly or quite full six years old.
510 LEWIS’S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.
When the front teeth are not only worn smooth, but worn
greatly away, the dog is well on to eight or even ten years; and
we may then notice, in the majority of dogs, other signs of age
which are not to be mistaken,—such as the turning gray of the
hair, about the eyes particularly, and which gradually spreads
over the whole face. Dogs are seldom good for any sporting-pur-
poses after ten years of age; and but few of them, even at this
early period, if they have not had kind treatment and good atten-
tion, are worth taking to the field except for a few hours’ hunt.
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